counterculture

[ koun-ter-kuhl-cher ]

noun

1. the culture and lifestyle of those people, especially among the young, who reject or oppose the dominant values and behavior of society.

counterculture

/ ˈkaʊntəˌkʌltʃə /

noun

1. an alternative culture, deliberately at variance with the social norm

counterculture

1. A protest movement by American youth that arose in the late 1960s and faded during the late 1970s. According to some, young people in the United States were forming a culture of their own, opposed to the culture of Middle America . ( See hippies and Woodstock .)

Other Words From

• counter·cultur·al adjective
• counter·cultur·ist counter·cultur·al·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of counterculture¹

First recorded in 1965–70; counter- + culture

Example Sentences

We are experiencing an unprecedented era and opportunity where social justice has emerged from a place of resistance and counterculture to the forefront of the global zeitgeist.

From Digiday

Like snowboarding before it, some worry that skateboarding’s Olympic arrival marks a break from its counterculture roots.

From Time

If you want the counterculture vibe, there’s always Taking Woodstock, Almost Famous, or Hair.

From Vox

There are too many counterculture kids born each year who will never work in offices but will find a path in guiding.

From Outside Online

They were part of an anti-establishment counterculture that feared being co-opted by people who didn’t understand the dance or its dizzying band of denizens.

From Washington Post

Is gambling culture more desirable than gay culture and counterculture?

From The Daily Beast

Rather, it is becoming a counterculture—as, ironically, gay culture itself once was.

From The Daily Beast

In the meantime, it is not surprising to see the anti-gay counterculture pushing back.

From The Daily Beast

The populist right, the militia movement, and anti-Bush leftists became obsessed by the phrase—and it entered the counterculture.

From The Daily Beast

David, to the extent that you are right, to the extent that our counterculture has become a supermarket, we are in deep trouble.

From The Daily Beast