hippy

IPA/ˈhɪpi/
IPA/ˈhɪpi/

hippy — noun

  • hippysingular
  • hippiesplural

1. A person, especially a young person in the 1960s and 1970s, who chooses to live

1.nounB1
Definition

A person, especially a young person in the 1960s and 1970s, who chooses to live in a way that rejects the usual rules and habits of modern Western society — for example, wearing long hair and brightly coloured clothes, supporting peace and a simple way of life, and often living in shared homes with others who share these beliefs.

Example

Darius wore a tie-dye shirt and called himself a hippy at the music festival.

collocation: called himself a hippy

Camila found old photos of her grandmother as a hippy in the 1960s.

Common collocations
  • hippy culture
  • hippy movement
  • hippy commune
  • hippy lifestyle
  • hippy clothes
  • hippy generation
  • hippy era
Synonyms
  • bohemian

    Broader term for someone living an unconventional artistic life; not tied specifically to the 1960s counterculture.

  • flower child

    More specific to 1960s hippy culture, emphasising peace and love. Slightly dated or nostalgic in tone.

  • free spirit

    Focuses on personal independence rather than political or cultural rebellion. Less connected to the 1960s movement.

Antonyms
  • conformist

    Someone who follows society's usual rules and expectations without question.

  • square

    Dated slang for someone who is conventional and disapproves of new or alternative lifestyles.

Grammar Patterns

hippy + noun (e.g. hippy clothes / hippy culture)

Usage Note

Frequently used as a modifier before another noun, e.g. hippy culture, hippy lifestyle, hippy clothes. The spelling hippie is also common and equally correct in modern English.

Common Mistakes

He is very hippy and wears designer suits.
He is very hip and wears designer suits.
'hip' means fashionable or trendy; 'hippy' describes someone from or resembling the anti-mainstream counterculture.
She was a hippy who worked at a bank and wore business suits every day.
She was a hippy who lived in a shared house and grew her own vegetables.
a hippy rejects mainstream consumer culture and conventional jobs; the example should reflect alternative values.

Word family

  • hippie
    nounB1
  • hippyish
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Hippy refers specifically to someone who was part of or resembles the 1960s–1970s counterculture that rejected Western materialism, often marked by distinctive dress, long hair, and a belief in peace and communal living. Bohemian is a broader term for anyone who lives an unconventional artistic or literary life, with less political charge and a longer historical reach — think 19th-century Parisian artists rather than Woodstock. Flower child is a narrower, warmly nostalgic label for a 1960s hippy who emphasised peace, love, and flowers as symbols; it rarely applies outside that decade. Free spirit focuses on personal independence and nonconformity without any specific political or historical alignment — a modern traveller or artist might be called a free spirit but not a hippy. If you meet someone today who dresses colourfully and rejects corporate life, free spirit fits best; if they actively identify with the 1960s movement, hippy or flower child is more accurate.

hippy ↗bohemian ↗flower childfree spirit

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • hippy-dippy (informal, slightly negative — describing something overly idealistic or New Age)

Etymology

Wolof (possible)African American slangAmerican English

The noun 'hippy' (also spelled 'hippie') comes from 'hip', a slang word from the 1930s–40s jazz scene meaning 'aware, cool, in the know'. That word may trace further back to the West African language Wolof, where 'hepi' or 'hipi' means 'to see' or 'to open one's eyes'. By the 1960s, journalists and the public began calling young counterculture followers 'hippies' or 'hippies', and the spelling 'hippy' became common alongside the longer variant.

First known use

1854

1854, in the meaning defined above