crosscurrent

American  

[kraws-kur-uhnt, -kuhr-, kros-] / ˈkrɔsˌkɜr ənt, -ˌkʌr-, ˈkrɒs- /

noun

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

2. Often crosscurrents. a conflicting tendency or movement.

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crosscurrent British  

/ ˈkrɒsˌkʌrənt /

noun

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

2. a conflicting tendency moving counter to the usual trend

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Other Word Forms

• crosscurrented adjective

Etymology

Origin of crosscurrent

First recorded in 1590–1600; cross- + current

Example Sentences

Blue Current’s funding comes as market crosscurrents have hit battery startups.

From The Wall Street Journal

There are many crosscurrents at work in the labor market today that make any bold prediction about AI and labor risky.

From MarketWatch

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

From 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.

From 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.

From Barron's

Related Words

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