big hair

American  

1. hair having the appearance of fullness and height, usually teased and sprayed.

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big hair British  

noun

1. a hairstyle with volume created by hair products or styling techniques such as backcombing, etc

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Etymology

Origin of big hair

1985–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

big hair

"Not to mention, all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair, my big… uh, personality," she joked.

From BBC ● May 4, 2026

There are plenty of reasons to be nostalgic about the 80s, from big hair to the movie Wall Street —and stocks’ performance.

From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026

A severe bout of nostalgia is spreading in America, but it’s not for the postwar prosperity of the 1950s or the big hair and bright colors of the 80s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026

Keaton stuck a clothespin on the tip of her nose to make it smaller, and acted the part of an extrovert: big laugh, big hair and, when she stopped liking her hair, big hats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025

It’s an old song she snitched from her mother—British alternative, rising good energy, from the time of shoulder pads and big hair.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti