crosscurrent

[kraws-kur-uhnt, -kuhr-, kros-]

noun

1. a current, as in a stream, moving across the main current.

2. Often crosscurrents. a conflicting tendency or movement.

crosscurrent

/ ˈkrɒsˌkʌrənt /

noun

1. a current in a river or sea flowing across another current

2. a conflicting tendency moving counter to the usual trend

Other Word Forms

• crosscurrented adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of crosscurrent¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; cross- + current

Example Sentences

At the same time, other perilous crosscurrents in the economy had Wall Street on edge.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Woodard’s regional cultures together create a mix of political currents and crosscurrents that have buffeted the republic for generations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Holz: It is an execution story at this point, as the company kind of reinvents itself with a number of difficult-to-predict crosscurrents in the background.

Read more on Barron's

“It might be subtle, but it creates crosscurrents and ripples that you might not predict.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Geragos said that while “there are so many crosscurrents,” with some prosecutors and relatives supporting the brothers and others opposing them, it’s a judicial decision.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• atmosphere 
• aura 
• feeling 
• hint 
• inclination 
• indication 
• intimation 
• murmur 
• overtone 
• sense 
• tinge 
• undertone 
• undertow