Hipster
/ˈhɪp.stər/noun
A person associated with fashionable, unconventional, or countercultural tastes, especially in music, art, clothing, or lifestyle.
Did you know?The modern sense grew from 1940s jazz slang, where a hipster was an initiated enthusiast who understood the music, language, and social world from the inside.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
-ster
“An agentive suffix used for a person associated with an action or occupation; it later became common in words such as spinster and youngster.”
1900s
American English
hip
“Slang meaning fashionable, aware, or knowledgeable about a particular cultural world; its deeper origin is uncertain and is sometimes connected with the earlier form hep.”
1908
American English
hep
“Jazz and African American slang for being informed, fashionable, or socially aware; the relationship between hep and hip is historically debated.”
1930s
American English
hipster
“A person deeply involved in jazz culture and its specialized language, especially an insider or enthusiast.”
1940s
American English
hipster
“A member of the jazz-oriented bohemian subculture, often associated with bebop, modern art, and nonconformist style.”
Late 20th Century–Modern English
English
hipster
“A person identified with deliberately unconventional, alternative, vintage, or trend-conscious tastes.”