Dictionary.com

counterword

[ koun-ter-wurd ]
/ ˈkaʊn tərˌwɜrd /
Save This Word!

noun
a word, often of short-lived popularity, widely used as an almost meaningless, automatic response.
a word that has come to be used with a meaning much less specific than that which it had originally, as swell, awful, or terrific.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of counterword

First recorded in 1670–80; counter1 + word
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for counterword

counterword
/ (ˈkaʊntəˌwɜːd) /

noun
a word widely used in a sense much looser than its original meaning, such as tremendous or awful
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK