hipster
/ˈhɪp.stər/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɪp.stɚ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhip-stər/ (ame, mw) · /ˈhɪpstə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɪpstər/ (ame, ipa)
hipster — noun
- hipstersingular
- hipstersplural
1. a young adult who deliberately follows the newest trends in music, clothes, food
a young adult who deliberately follows the newest trends in music, clothes, food, or design, often choosing styles that feel niche or outside the cultural mainstream.
Yuki opened a small vinyl-record shop that quickly became popular with Brooklyn hipsters.
noun in plural describing a subculture group
The cafe on Tomás's street is full of hipsters drinking single-origin pour-over coffee.
collocation: full of hipsters
Putri thought her cousin became a hipster after buying a typewriter and thrift-store cardigans.
Most of the customers at the new craft brewery are hipsters in their late twenties.
- trendsetter
positive — actively starts trends rather than just following them
- scenester
informal — emphasises being part of a local music or art scene
- square
old-fashioned slang for someone uninterested in trends
文法句型
a hipster
a young hipster
用法筆記
Often used with a hint of teasing or mild mockery — calling someone a hipster can sound dismissive, especially when the speaker thinks the person is trying too hard to seem cool.
常見錯誤
2. underpants cut low at the top so that the waistband sits on the hip bones instea
underpants cut low at the top so that the waistband sits on the hip bones instead of rising to the natural waistline.
Defne packed three pairs of cotton hipsters for the weekend trip to Antalya.
collocation: pairs of hipsters
The shop assistant suggested hipsters because Beatrix wanted something less tight than briefs.
contrast with another underwear cut
Eleni found that the lace hipsters showed slightly above the top of her jeans.
Cotton hipsters in pastel colours sold out within the first weekend of the spring sale.
- briefs
more general; briefs sit higher, hipsters specifically sit at the hip
- high-waisted briefs
opposite cut, with the waistband reaching the natural waist
文法句型
a pair of hipsters
wear hipsters
用法筆記
Almost always plural in this sense — like 'jeans' or 'shorts', the singular 'a hipster' would normally be read as sense 1 (the person), so use 'a pair of hipsters' to be clear.
常見錯誤
3. trousers whose waistband fastens around the hip bones rather than rising to the
trousers whose waistband fastens around the hip bones rather than rising to the natural waist, popular in the late 1960s and again in the early 2000s.
Anjali wore wide-leg denim hipsters to the family wedding in Mumbai.
collocation: denim hipsters
Harper found a pair of velvet hipsters at a vintage shop in Camden Market.
collocation: pair of hipsters; vintage clothing context
Yael complained that her new hipsters kept slipping down whenever she sat on the floor.
Bell-bottom hipsters were everywhere in London in 1971, then disappeared for thirty years.
- low-rise jeans
American equivalent when the fabric is denim
- hip-huggers
informal American term for the same cut
- high-waisted trousers
opposite cut, with the waistband at or above the navel
文法句型
a pair of hipsters
wear hipsters
用法筆記
Mostly British English; American speakers more often say 'low-rise jeans' or 'low-rise pants' for the same cut. Always plural, like 'trousers' and 'jeans'.
常見錯誤
hipster — adjective
- hipsterpositive
- hipsterercomparative
- hipsterestsuperlative
1. describing a place, object, or activity that feels typical of trendy young adult
describing a place, object, or activity that feels typical of trendy young adults who follow niche, alternative styles rather than the cultural mainstream.
Kofi took his parents to a hipster cafe that served oat-milk lattes in jam jars.
attributive: hipster + noun
The neighbourhood has become very hipster since the old warehouses were turned into art studios.
predicative: very + hipster
Ayesha rolled her eyes at the menu's hipster names for ordinary sandwiches.
Christopher's wedding had a hipster feel — naked-cake dessert, fairy lights, and a vinyl-only DJ.
- trendy
more neutral; doesn't carry the niche/alternative connotation
- alternative
broader — covers any non-mainstream style, not specifically the hipster look
- mainstream
describes what is popular with the wider public
文法句型
a hipster cafe
very hipster
用法筆記
Often carries a teasing or critical tone — describing something as 'very hipster' frequently implies the speaker finds it pretentious or overly self-aware, not just trendy.
常見錯誤
2. (of jeans, trousers, or underwear) cut so that the waistband fastens around the
(of jeans, trousers, or underwear) cut so that the waistband fastens around the hip bones rather than rising up to the natural waist.
Yuki bought hipster jeans because the high-waisted ones felt uncomfortable when she cycled.
contrast with high-waisted cut
The store offers hipster briefs in five colours and three different fabrics.
attributive: hipster + clothing noun
Defne's hipster trousers showed a strip of skin when she reached up to the shelf.
Hipster shorts came back into fashion the year after high-waisted styles peaked.
- low-rise
more common in American English; same meaning, used freely both attributively and predicatively
- hip-hugging
more descriptive; emphasises how the waistband grips the hips
- high-waisted
opposite cut, fastening at or above the navel
文法句型
hipster jeans
hipster briefs
用法筆記
Only used attributively before a clothing noun — you would not say 'these jeans are hipster' to mean low-rise; for that use a phrase like 'these are hipster-cut'.