beatnik

noun

beat·​nik ˈbēt-nik How to pronounce beatnik (audio)
: 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

Examples of beatnik in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One dresses like a beatnik gymnast; the other like a Romanian fortune teller. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025 Name Thomas Dolby Best known for Playing a cameo role as a beatnik bartender in Howard the Duck. — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 17 Apr. 2026 This was a place and time in history of tremendous creativity that grew out of the acid test parties, the beatnik poets, and the Summer Of Love. — Brian Halligan, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025 Suzuki is a young beatnik of Greenwich Village, a moral, sharp-witted kid wanting a place where children can be taken seriously, free to manage their own affairs. — Literary Hub, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for beatnik

Word History

Etymology

beat entry 3 + -nik

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beatnik was in 1958

Browse Nearby Words

beat man
beatnik
beat off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beatnik.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beatnik. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on beatnik

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beatnik

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