Beat Generation Definition

noun

A group of American writers and artists popular in the 1950s and early 1960s, influenced by Eastern philosophy and religion and known especially for their use of nontraditional forms and their rejection of conventional social values.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
beatniks
beats

pronoun

A group of American writers who came to prominence in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their most important works are Jack Kerouac's On the Road (1957), Allen Ginsberg's Howl (1956), and William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch (1959).

Wiktionary

Origin of Beat Generation

From beat weary (coined by Jack Kerouac in 1948 to describe the disaffected underground urban youth culture of the time, but later associated with beat rhythmic pulse) (beatitude)

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition