youthquake
noun
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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."
Examples of youthquake in a Sentence
Nina Burleigh, The New Republic, 17 Mar. 2023
Then came the youthquake of the ’60s, along with the proliferation of synthetic fabrics, and subsequent decades brought designer denim into the market, thanks to Gloria Vanderbilt and Calvin Klein.
—Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2023
Not exactly a topic expected to start a youthquake.
—Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 23 Nov. 2022
There are few faces more synonymous with the youthquake of the '60s than Veruschka, who turns 82 today.
—Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 14 May 2021
So too were the youthquake models of the 1960s such as Twiggy, who had the gangly, curveless physique of a 12-year-old boy.
—National Geographic, 7 Jan. 2020
According to Oxford, recent words of the year have included vape, toxic, youthquake and post-truth.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 22 Nov. 2019
What the Rolling Stones were to music, Bailey was to photography: raw, iconoclastic and utterly attuned to the spirit of London’s youthquake.
—Kristina O’Neill, WSJ, 4 Apr. 2019
Quant was a cornerstone of the '60s 'youthquake' movement.
—refinery29.com, 8 June 2018
Cite this Entry
“Youthquake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/youthquake. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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