1. members of the Beat Generation, a group of American writers and artists in the 1950s and early 1960s who rejected conventional society and embraced alternative lifestyles, jazz, and experimental art
Usage: historical; often capitalized when referring to the specific movement

Examples

• The beatniks gathered in coffee shops to read poetry and discuss philosophy.
• Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg were famous writers associated with the beatniks.
• Many beatniks wore black clothing and berets as symbols of their artistic identity.
• The beatnik movement influenced later counterculture groups like the hippies.
• Coffee houses in Greenwich Village were popular hangouts for beatniks.
• Critics often dismissed beatniks as lazy rebels without a cause.