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beatniks

Cultural  
  1. Members of the “beat” movement in the United States in the 1950s. Beatniks frequently rejected middle-class American values, customs, and tastes in favor of radical politics and exotic jazz, art, and literature. The movement was often classified as bohemian. The poet Allen Ginsberg and the novelist Jack Kerouac are examples of beatnik authors.


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“Daddy-O” (a term of address); “Cool, man, cool”; and “strictly dullsville” are examples of slang expressions used by beatniks or by people trying to sound like beatniks.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In America, the term “counterculture” is so associated with hippies, beatniks, bohemians and the like, it might seem odd to think of self-described conservatives as counterculture types.

From Los Angeles Times

I also omitted "beatniks" from his list of groups he believed were seeking to destroy the country.

From Salon

On its website, the venue recalled the event as one “where beatniks met the emerging hippie culture.”

From New York Times

He further honed his anti-establishment leanings by mingling with the beatniks at the coffee houses of North Beach in his off hours.

From New York Times

She was fascinated by the beatniks and their travels, and craved culture and education.

From New York Times