Beat Generation

American  

[beet jen-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˈbit ˌdʒɛn əˈreɪ ʃən /

Or beat generation

noun

1. members of the generation that came of age after World War II who, supposedly as a result of disillusionment stemming from the Cold War, embraced forms of mysticism and the relaxation of social and sexual inhibitions.

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Beat Generation British  

noun

1. members of the generation that came to maturity in the 1950s, whose rejection of the social and political systems of the West was expressed through contempt for regular work, possessions, traditional dress, etc, and espousal of anarchism, communal living, drugs, etc

2. a group of US writers, notably Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs, who emerged in the 1950s

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Etymology

Origin of Beat Generation

First recorded in 1950–55; apparently from beat ( def. ), though the sense intended by earliest users of the phrase is not clear; the association with beatitude ( def. ) later made by Jack Kerouac is probably fanciful

Example Sentences

Jack Kerouac’s 1957 novel, “On the Road,” defined him as the voice of the Beat Generation.

From Salon • Jul. 30, 2025

The couple began dating in 2012 after meeting on the set of the 2013 film “Kill Your Darlings,” in which Radcliffe portrayed Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg and Darke played one of his love interests.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2023

In 1997, Allen Ginsberg, the counterculture guru who shattered conventions as poet laureate of the Beat Generation, died in New York City at age 70.

From Washington Times • Apr. 5, 2021

She studied French literature at Tufts University and, after graduating, moved to New York City, where she worked as a secretary at Grove Press during its heyday as a Beat Generation clubhouse.

From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2020

At the age of eighteen, propelled by his admiration for the Beat Generation of writers, he moved out of his parents’ house and into the city itself.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman