flower-child

IPA/ˈflaʊə ˌtʃaɪld/
IPA/ˈflaʊ.ɚ ˌtʃaɪld/

flower-child — noun

1. A young person who rejects the rules and lifestyle of mainstream society and cho

1.nounB2
Definition

A young person who rejects the rules and lifestyle of mainstream society and chooses instead a free, unconventional way of living. The term is especially tied to the 1960s counterculture movement.

Example

Renata's parents were flower children who lived in a commune in northern California.

generational reference: flower children + 1960s commune

The festival attracted former flower children wearing long skirts and beaded necklaces.

visual detail: clothing typical of the movement

Common collocations
  • former flower child
  • flower child generation
  • flower child era
  • flower child movement
Synonyms
  • hippie

    the broader term; all flower children are hippies, but not all hippies are flower children

  • bohemian

    more general and older, referring to artists and writers who live outside social norms

  • free spirit

    modern and broader; anyone who follows their own path without regard to social rules

Grammar Patterns

flower child | flower children

Usage Note

Often used to refer to people of that era, even if they no longer live that way. Terms like former flower child or ex-flower child are common when speaking about someone today.

Common Mistakes

My uncle was a flower man in the 1960s.
My uncle was a flower child in the 1960s.
The term is always 'flower child' regardless of the person's gender.

2. A person who actively and idealistically promotes love, beauty, and peace as the

2.nounC1
Definition

A person who actively and idealistically promotes love, beauty, and peace as the highest values in life, often associated with handing out flowers as a gesture of goodwill.

Example

Kwame acted like a flower child, handing out daisies to strangers at the market.

concrete action: handing out flowers as a symbol

The march was led by flower children who wanted to replace anger with open conversation.

Common collocations
  • true flower child
  • flower child at heart
  • flower child ideals
Synonyms
  • pacifist

    focuses specifically on opposition to war and violence, not necessarily tied to 1960s culture

  • idealist

    broader; anyone who believes in high principles, not specific to the peace-and-love philosophy

  • peace activist

    more formal and politically active; not limited to the hippie aesthetic

Grammar Patterns

flower child | flower children

Usage Note

Can describe someone today who follows these ideals, even if they were never part of the 1960s movement. The phrase flower child at heart is common for such usage.

Common Mistakes

She is a flower child who loves gardening.
She is a flower child who works for peace in her neighbourhood.
A flower child is defined by social ideals (peace, love, beauty), not by an interest in plants or gardening.

Word family

  • flower children
    noun (plural)B2
  • flower power
    noun (related term)C1
  • hippie
    noun (synonym)B2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Flower child, hippie, bohemian, and free spirit all describe people who reject conventional lifestyles, but they differ in time period and emphasis. Hippie is the broadest term for 1960s counterculture — it covers the politics, the music, the dress, and the communal living. A flower child is a specific type of hippie: one who focuses on peace, love, and beauty above all else, often giving away flowers as a symbol. Bohemian is older and wider — it describes artists, writers, and intellectuals who live unconventionally, sometimes in poverty, and is not limited to any single decade. Free spirit is the most general and modern term; it applies to anyone who follows their own instincts without caring about social expectations. For example, a musician living in a San Francisco loft in 1967 could be called a hippie. If that same person handed out daisies at anti-war protests, they were a flower child. An artist living cheaply in Paris in the 1920s was a bohemian. A modern traveller who quits their job to wander the world could be called a free spirit.

hippie ↗bohemian ↗free spirit

Common collocations

Nouns

  • former flower child
  • flower child generation
  • flower child era
  • flower child movement
  • flower child ideals

Phrases

  • flower child at heart

Etymology

American English slangEnglish

The term 'flower child' emerged in the mid-1960s during the hippie counterculture in the United States, especially in the Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood of San Francisco. It combines 'flower' — a symbol of beauty, nature, and peace — with 'child' — suggesting innocence and a fresh, uncorrupted way of seeing the world. Flower children would literally give flowers to strangers as gestures of friendship and non-violence. The phrase was popularised during the 'Summer of Love' in 1967 and became a lasting symbol of the peace movement.

First known use

1967

1967, in the meaning defined above