hipster

¹ American  

[hip-ster] / ˈhɪp stər /

noun

Slang.

1. a usually young person who is trendy, stylish, or progressive in an unconventional way; someone who is hip.

2. a person, especially during the 1950s and 1960s, characterized by a particularly strong sense of alienation from most established social activities and relationships; a beatnik or hippie.

3. a performer or admirer of jazz, especially swing; a hepcat.

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hipster ² American  

[hip-ster] / ˈhɪp stər /

noun

1. Chiefly British. hipsters, hiphuggers.

2. Often hipsters hiphugger underpants for women and girls.

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hipster British  

/ ˈhɪpstə /

noun

1. slang

   1. an enthusiast of modern jazz

   2. an outmoded word for hippy 1

2. (modifier) (of trousers) cut so that the top encircles the hips

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Other Word Forms

• hipsterish adjective
• hipsterism noun

Etymology

Origin of hipster¹

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; hip ⁴ + -ster

Origin of hipster²

First recorded in 1960–65; hip ¹ + -ster

Example Sentences

“I would call them the hipsters of their time,” MacAllen says.

From Salon

But when the Platform, an open-air plaza on Washington Boulevard, opened during the spring of 2016, it offered residents and visitors an alternative shopping experience with a hipster bent.

From Los Angeles Times

Dexter went from sheltered son of a doctor to brooding child hipster who left home early to tour with big bands.

From Los Angeles Times

In his loopy 1957 essay on hipsters, Norman Mailer talked about the “psychic havoc” of living under the threat of nuclear annihilation.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We have the hipster country crowd and we love them, because they spend money,” said owner Frank Faillace.

From The Wall Street Journal