1950s

noun

The decade beginning in 1950 and ending in 1959.

Meanings

noun1950s pl (plural only)

alternative 1950's · alternative nineteen-fifties

  1. pluralplural onlyThe decade beginning in 1950 and ending in 1959.

    Gerassi discussed the parallels between the witchhunt directed against gay men in Boise during the 1950s and the recent arrests of twelve men charged with sex offenses in Revere.

    1978 April 1, “Author Gerassi Speaks on the Parallels Between Boise and Boston”, in Gay Community News, page 3
    3 more examples

    Jumming, a particular type of agriculture requiring burning of forest to prepare floor for farming has been prohibited in the Madhupur Garh Forest from the 1950s but continues to be practiced in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

    1998, B. K. Roy Burman, B. G. Verghese, Aspiring to be: the tribal, indigenous condition, page 189

    But as in the case of Japan, the results of self-dealing corruption largely remain in the country rather than escaping to Swiss bank accounts as often happened with the style of 1950s era corruption seen in Vietnam or the Philippines.

    2011 August 1, Steve Clemons, “China's Internal Pluralism Is Nothing to Cheer About”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 11 Apr 2021

    Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been manufactured since the 1950s for use as surface protectants for textiles and leather treatment, as protection additives in food packaging and paper products, and in firefighting foams.

    2015, “PFASs in the General Population”, in Jamie C. DeWitt, editor, Toxicological Effects of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, Humana Press, →ISBN, page 51
adjective1950s (comparative more 1950s, superlative most 1950s)

comparative more 1950s · superlative most 1950s · alternative 1950's · alternative nineteen-fifties

  1. Designating popular culture and major events that occurred in this decade, or anything manufactured in this decade.

    Synonyms: '50s, 50s, fifties

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveDesignating popular culture and major events that occurred in this decade, or anything manufactured in this decade.

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe decade from 1950 to 1959

Similar
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

1950s. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/1950s

MLA

“1950s.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/1950s. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “1950s,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/1950s.

Source: 1950s on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.