James Dean

26 4.3

An American movie actor who played moody, rebellious young men and became a symbol of youth rebellion

proper noun
/dʒeɪmz diːn/

: James Dean

Many consider James Dean a cultural icon.

Examples

People still see James Dean as the epitome of cool and rebellion.
The tragic death of James Dean only increased his legendary status in Hollywood.
Many teenagers in the 1950s aspired to look and act like James Dean.
Do you like James Dean's movies?
The actor James Dean is remembered for his intense performances in classic films like 'Rebel Without a Cause.'
Many teenagers admired James Dean for his roles in films that captured the angst of youth.
This film features James Dean as a cultural icon, leaving a lasting legacy.

Surface Forms

James Dean main

Morphology

James + Dean

This is a proper name referring to a specific individual; the meaning ‘an American film actor and cultural icon’ is a referential, non-compositional property of that person and cannot be predicted from the constituent words. Even if a learner knows the lexical items 'James' and 'Dean' (or their unrelated senses), they would not be able to infer the biographical or cultural significance, so the expression is opaque to B1 learners.

Etymology

James Dean comes from a 1950s actor who often played moody, rebellious young men and who died very young. Because his famous roles and sudden death made a strong image, his name now stands for 'youthful rebellion' and 'cool'.