beatnik

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beat·nik

(bēt′nĭk)

A person, especially a member or follower of the Beat Generation, whose behavior, views, and often style of dress are pointedly unconventional.

[Beat (Generation) + -nik.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

beatnik

(ˈbiːtnɪk)

1. (Sociology) a member of the Beat Generation (sense 1)

2. informal any person with long hair and shabby clothes

[C20: from beat (n) + -nik, by analogy with Sputnik]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

beat•nik

(ˈbit nɪk)

n.

1. (sometimes cap.) a member of the Beat Generation.

2. a person who rejects or avoids conventional behavior, dress, etc.

[1955–60, Amer.]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

beatnik - a member of the beat generation; a nonconformist in dress and behavior

beat

beat generation, beatniks, beats - a United States youth subculture of the 1950s; rejected possessions or regular work or traditional dress; for communal living and psychedelic drugs and anarchism; favored modern forms of jazz (e.g., bebop)

recusant, nonconformist - someone who refuses to conform to established standards of conduct

Translations

beatnik

[ˈbiːtnɪk] N → beatnik mf

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

beatnik

n → Beatnik m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

beatnik

[ˈbiːtnɪk] n → beatnik m/f inv

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

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References in periodicals archive ?

A: No, Wendy is a fantastic comic lyricist, and her lyrics for this show are steeped in the beatnik lingo of the era.

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In 1958 professional painter Margaret (Adams) sets up a new life in beatnik San Francisco.

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While those days are gone, the Beatnik vibe remains cool and stylish - and this Autumn, it's creating a fantastic new feel in our homes.

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Copper is superb - its glowing colour and high shine look great in the shape of the Merle copper pendant light, and on the shelves in the shape of curvaceous vases What else do you need to complete your Beatnik room?

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I am neither a 'beatnik' nor a 'square' but consider the donning of gayer clothes a great aid in making life itself gay.

LETTER FROM THE PAST

Nixon as its presidential candidate, Kerouac's definition of Beat had been significantly erased by the epithet "beatnik," which the public had come to associate with communists.

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Prices are kept off the menu at the e1/41,500 to e1/435,000-a-night Royal Mansour paradise palace in the 11th-century Berber town on the old beatnik trail.

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He describes the origins of the beat generation during World War II, how the beats turned into beatniks, the emergence of a beatnik voice, and the spread of the phenomenon from Manhattan to the US and the world.

Beatniks; a guide to an American subculture

The event, which is guest list only, will begin at 10pm and feature top UK DJ Nikki Beatnik.

UK DJ Nikki Beatnik set for Bougi III

It even manges to redeem the stoutly sensible culotte, turning it into a ballet meets beatnik jumpsuit.

The lady is a vamp; IN BRIEF

Prepare then to be green with envy when DJ Nikki Beatnik, pictured, arrives tonight to launch Liverpool Fashion Week.

WHAT girl wouldn't want to

How does Ferlinghetti reconcile that with his status as Beatnik, ex-poet laureate of San Francisco, and cover boy of Poets & Writers, Inc.?