Word of the Day

: May 25, 2007

youthquake

noun YOOTH-kwayk

What It Means

: a shift in cultural norms influenced by the values, tastes, and mores of young people

youthquake in Context

The dot-com industry was the epicenter of the youthquake of the 1990s.

Did You Know?

The 1960s were a time of seismic social upheaval brought about by young people bent on shaking up the establishment. From politics to fashion to music, the ways of youth produced far-reaching cultural changes. Linguistically, the sixties saw the addition to English of such words as "flower child," "peacenik," "hippie," "love beads," "trippy," "vibe," "freak-out," and "love-in." Not surprisingly, they also saw the emergence of "youthquake." The first known use of "youthquake" in print comes from a 1966 article in McCall's: "the youthquake, as some call it ... has swept both sides of the Atlantic."