antiestablishment

[an-tee-i-stab-lish-muhnt, an-tahy-]

adjective

1. opposed to or working against the existing power structure or mores, as of society or government.

   Antiestablishment candidates promised to disband the army, Congress, and the cabinet if elected.

Word History and Origins

Origin of antiestablishment¹

First recorded in 1955–60; anti- + establishment

Example Sentences

Antiestablishment sentiment across the West has fueled the rise of populist parties, including Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and the far-left party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

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At the far edge of the American west, a brash adolescent came of age in a coastal community where the establishment prided itself on being antiestablishment.

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The roots of techno — in Detroit or Berlin depending on whom you talk to — were always antiestablishment, said Ambrus Deak, program manager of music production at the Los Angeles Film School.

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The real answer is pragmatic progressivism—not defending captured institutions but reimagining government—by explicitly channeling antiestablishment anger into pro-government reform.

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Empathizing with Mangione is simply not uncommon, nor is it exclusive to antiestablishment lefties, who relish any evidence of an armed revolt against the entrenched oligarchy, especially when it comes from someone iconoclastically hot.

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