radical chic

noun

: a fashionable practice among socially prominent people of associating with radicals or members of minority groups

Examples of radical chic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web It is sung by a white Symbionese Liberation Army terrorist, and lampoons the liberal fascination with what Tom Wolfe called radical chic. Seth Colter Walls, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2022 This is never an honest account of cultural trends — juxtaposing Sixties radical chic with Millennial wokeness. Armond White, National Review, 16 Dec. 2020 The Castro regime enthusiastically circulated photographs of the British delegation in front of a Che Guevara icon in Havana, a tired and gimmicky invocation of 1960s radical chic that’s even more farcical in the 21st century. Mary Anastasia O’Grady, WSJ, 31 Mar. 2019 Other stars include Liv Tyler; Peter Mullan; a slithery Mark Gatiss, as the court operator Sir Robert Cecil; and Tom Cullen, whose fearsome Guy Fawkes is a barbarous departure from the radical chic symbol favored by many hackers and activists. Jeremy Egner, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'radical chic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of radical chic was in 1970

Dictionary Entries Near radical chic

Cite this Entry

“Radical chic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radical%20chic. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

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