hippie

American  

[hip-ee] / ˈhɪp i /

Or hippy

noun

1. a person, especially of the late 1960s, who rejected established institutions and values and sought spontaneity, direct personal relations expressing love, and expanded consciousness, often expressed externally in the wearing of casual, folksy clothing and of beads, headbands, used garments, etc.

---

hippie British  

/ ˈhɪpɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of hippy 1

---

Etymology

Origin of hippie

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55; hip ⁴ + -ie

---

Compare meaning

How does hippie compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• beatnik vs. hippie

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hippie

The first time, I’d just come back from the Monterey Pop Festival, and I was in my hippie regalia.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Later that decade hippie love-ins were held regularly at the base of the carousel, occasionally drawing the likes of the Hells Angels or law enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

In 2020, Burning Man—“a fertile, apocalyptic, hippie, neo-pagan freak fest,” as one news clip tells us—was canceled outright due to Covid-19.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Christine Devin, who arrived in 1974 after travelling overland on the hippie trail from Paris, remembers digging wells, irrigating the land and everyone pitching in to build houses and communal buildings like the solar kitchen.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

She became a complete hippie before our astonished eyes, dressing in beads and berets and wearing sweet-smelling oils that, she said, gave you certain powers.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• bohemian
• flower child
• free spirit

---