Angry Young Man

noun

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.

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Meanings

nounAngry Young Man (plural Angry Young Men)

plural Angry Young Men

  1. literatureAny 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.

Origin

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Korean 화난 청년
  • 화난 청년 (Hwanan Cheongnyeon)any of a group of British playwrights and novelists who rose to prominence in the 1950s
Polish młody gniewny
  • młody gniewnyany of a group of British playwrights and novelists who rose to prominence in the 1950s
Portuguese Angry Young Man
  • Angry Young Manany of a group of British playwrights and novelists who rose to prominence in the 1950s
Cite this entry
APA

Angry Young Man. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Angry%20Young%20Man

MLA

“Angry Young Man.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Angry%20Young%20Man. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Angry Young Man,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Angry%20Young%20Man.

Source: Angry Young Man on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.