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Glite Dictionary
psychedelia

psychedelia

3 9.9
A style of art, music, and fashion with bright colors and swirling patterns linked to 1960s mind-changing drugs
  • noun
  • /ˌsaɪkəˈdiliə/
  • NSFW
: psicodelia
  • During the festival, attendees embraced the spirit of psychedelia through elaborate costumes and colorful decorations.
  • 60s psychedelia
  • psychedelia rock
  • psychedelia and folk

You've also described that world as psychedelia, so on that topic, I'm curious about that world.

Examples

  • In fact, what if I told you that the Bee Gees went through several different musical styles—barbershop harmony, psychedelia, and American cover songs—before they ever broke through worldwide?

    Blog text (24)

  • Western influences such as psychedelia and pop art were now at the fore in the output of artists such as Cesarska and Swierzy.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Opposite her, there was proof that the age of psychedelia is not over.

    Blog text (25)

  • I like that you add a hint of psychedelia to your songs.

    Blog text (34)

  • Naturally, he waited less than a year after pushing 10 million copies of his ultimate pop statement to drop his ode to Beatles-laced psychedelia.

    Blog text (22)

  • From the Beatles and the British invasion to Janis Joplin and psychedelia, the '60s came back in a rad way.

    Blog text (14)

  • The forebears of this music seemed to encompass soaring Zeppelin hard rock, punk velocity, Robert Johnson down-home blues, and Captain Beefheart psychedelia.

    Blog text (9)

  • Should you like a mix of Krautrock, psychedelia, and indie AOR (which is sort of the de facto definition of a certain kind of popular indie rock, except maybe for the Krautrock), then The Features are for you.

    Blog text (30)

  • The art exhibition showcased the vibrant colors and swirling patterns typical of psychedelia from the 1960s.

  • Many musicians today draw inspiration from the sounds and visuals of psychedelia that defined an entire era.

Surface Forms

psychedelia singular
psychedelias plural

Morphology

psychedelia = psychedelic (semi-transparent) = psychedelic + ia

The relation to 'psychedelic' is clear, but the suffix '-ia' creates a collective/cultural noun whose specific cultural sense may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Psychedelia comes from Greek roots psyche 'mind' and delos 'to show', and you can see psyche in the familiar word psychology. So, psychedelia names the art, music, and style that 'shows' or changes the mind—bright colors and swirling patterns that feel dream-like, which is why the word is linked to the 1960s psychedelic culture.