First Known Use: 1958
Dictionary
beatnik
noun beat·nik \ˈbēt-nik\
: a young person who was part of a social group in the 1950s and early 1960s that rejected the traditional rules of society and encouraged people to express themselves through art
Full Definition of BEATNIK
: a person who participated in a social movement of the 1950s and early 1960s which stressed artistic self-expression and the rejection of the mores of conventional society; broadly : a usually young and artistic person who rejects the mores of conventional society
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Origin of BEATNIK
3beat + -nik
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