Phrase guide

Angry Young Man

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of a group of mostly working-class and middle-class British playwrights and novelists who rose to prominence in the 1950s, their works being characterized by harshness, realism, and disillusionment with traditional norms.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: literature, media, publishing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Coined in reference to John Osborne's 1956 play Look Back in Anger.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Korean: 화난 청년 (Hwanan Cheongnyeon) — any of a group of British playwrights and novelists who rose to prominence in the 1950s
  • Polish: młody gniewny — any of a group of British playwrights and novelists who rose to prominence in the 1950s
  • Portuguese: Angry Young Man — any of a group of British playwrights and novelists who rose to prominence in the 1950s