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.

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counterculture British  

/ ˈkaʊntəˌkʌltʃə /

noun

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

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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.)

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Other Word Forms

• countercultural adjective
• counterculturalist noun
• counterculturist noun

Etymology

Origin of counterculture

First recorded in 1965–70; counter- + culture

Example Sentences

“It’s uncomfortable to go counterculture, and if you have the whole industry being against something, it can be scary to be a little more public,” Shulman says, sipping his green juice.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From The Wall Street Journal

Land art, originating in the 1960s, evolved from a counterculture movement into a global genre, emphasizing universal awe over commerce.

From The Wall Street Journal

For a blip in this post-Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” era, when queerness is once again taboo, the counterculture went mainstream.

From Salon

What began as a counterculture movement went mainstream, shaping an understanding of health and nutrition that still dominates American culture today.

From The Wall Street Journal