noun
beatnik
BEET-nik/ˈbiːtnɪk/
A member or imitator of the 1950s Beat counterculture.
The film's beatnik reads poetry in a small basement café.
Etymology
The suffix labels someone associated with the Beat generation, whose name evokes both jazz rhythm and being worn out. The coinage rode the wave of -nik formations popularized by Sputnik.
In context
… the beatnik played a role in the early stages of the counterculture of the 1960s
More examples
- Several beatniks gather for an evening of jazz.
- The exhibit explores how newspapers portrayed the beatnik.
- His costume imitates a stereotypical 1950s beatnik.
Forms
beatnik · beatniks
Similar words
- bohemian
- Broader; describes unconventional artistic living across different periods.