Hippyish

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the relaxed, unconventional style, dress or attitudes associated with the hippie counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s
2. Showing the free-spirited, anti-materialist look or outlook typical of hippies from the 1960s and 1970s
3. Suggesting the bohemian, peace-loving and nonconformist manner of the hippie movement of earlier decades

Etymology: Hippyish is simply "hippy" with the suffix "-ish" attached, meaning "somewhat like a hippy." The base word "hippy" is an English formation, built from "hippy" in the sense of a person with long hair, loose clothing and an unconventional, free-spirited outlook, and the suffix "-ish" is an ancient and productive ending. It descends through Old English "-isc" and Middle English "-isch" from a Proto-Germanic form "*-iskaz," and it has long been used to mean "having the character of" or "rather like" whatever it is attached to, as in "boyish" or "reddish." Attaching "-ish" to a noun gives a loose, approximate quality rather than a precise one. "Hippyish" therefore describes a style, a mood or an appearance that borrows the look or attitude of a hippy without necessarily being one, such as a relaxed dress code, a casual attitude toward schedules, or a fondness for natural materials. The adjective's meaning is wholly predictable from its parts, which is why it needs no special history of its own.

Synonyms: bohemian, countercultural, unconventional, alternative, nonconformist

Antonyms: conventional, straight-laced, conservative, mainstream, orthodox