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

Mr. Crow, a professor of modern art at New York University, has previously written about the relationship between art and politics in 18th-century France and America’s 1960s counterculture.

From The Wall Street Journal

The book is potent, pungent and powerful on every page, full of excitement and zany counterculture cool and spiced with Mr. Freston’s razor-sharp observations and quick wit.

From The Wall Street Journal

“In a weird way, this is kind of counterculture,” Felecia chimes in.

From Los Angeles Times

This house dives headfirst into the counterculture of Venice.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Marx detects the death of cool and the counterculture.

From The Wall Street Journal