counterculture

American  

[koun-ter-kuhl-cher] / ˈkaʊn tərˌkʌl tʃər /

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 British  

/ ˈkaʊntəˌkʌltʃə /

noun

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

---

counterculture Cultural  

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 Word Forms

• countercultural adjective
• counterculturalist noun
• counterculturist noun

Etymology

Origin of counterculture

First recorded in 1965–70; counter- + culture

Example Sentences

Despite these establishment connections, Mr. Gittlitz shows, the team was swept up in the 1960s counterculture.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Founded in San Francisco by Weir, Jerry Garcia, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann, the Grateful Dead became one of the leading music groups to emerge from the 1960s counterculture movement.

From Barron's • Jan. 11, 2026

The Dead’s graphic symbols, including “dancing” bears, the “Stealie” lightning skull and instrument-wielding terrapins, were plastered across innumerable merchandise and became a calling card of hippie-influenced counterculture over the ensuing decades.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2026

Within a few years, they became a force within San Francisco's characteristic counterculture.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

One part of this counterculture was the environmental movement.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan