subculture

American  

[suhb-kuhl-cher, suhb-kuhl-cher] / sʌbˈkʌl tʃər, ˈsʌbˌkʌl tʃər /

verb (used with object)

• subcultures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• subcultured,
  past participle,  past
• subculturing
  present participle

1. Bacteriology. to cultivate (a bacterial strain) again on a new medium.

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noun

• subcultures
  plural

1. Bacteriology. a culture derived in this manner.

2. Sociology.

   1. the cultural values and behavioral patterns distinctive of a particular group in a society.

   2. a group having social, economic, ethnic, or other traits distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society.

subculture British  

noun

1. a subdivision of a national culture or an enclave within it with a distinct integrated network of behaviour, beliefs, and attitudes

2. a culture of microorganisms derived from another culture

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verb

1. (tr) to inoculate (bacteria from one culture medium) onto another medium

subculture Cultural  

1. A group within a society that has its own shared set of customs, attitudes, and values, often accompanied by jargon or slang. A subculture can be organized around a common activity, occupation, age, status, ethnic background, race, religion, or any other unifying social condition, but the term is often used to describe deviant groups, such as thieves and drug users. (See counterculture.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subcultural
  adjective
• subculturally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• subcultures
  plural

Participles

• subculturing
  present
• subcultured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• subculture
  simple
• subcultures
  simple
• have subcultured
  perfect
• has subcultured
  perfect
• am subculturing
  progressive
• are subculturing
  progressive
• is subculturing
  progressive
• have been subculturing
  perfect progressive
• has been subculturing
  perfect progressive

Past

• subcultured
  simple
• had subcultured
  perfect
• was subculturing
  progressive
• were subculturing
  progressive
• had been subculturing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will subculture
  simple
• will have subcultured
  perfect
• will be subculturing
  progressive
• will have been subculturing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of subculture

First recorded in 1895–1900; sub- + culture

Explanation

A subculture is a group of people within a larger culture, such as a country, who have something in common. They might share religious or political beliefs or be science fiction fans, for example. A culture is how people live, sometimes based on where they live — you can refer to American culture, Canadian culture, or to an Australian culture. Within these larger cultures, there are also subcultures of many sizes. The Native American community is a subculture, as is the Mormon community. Also, subcultures can be based on interests, like "Deadheads" who used to follow around the rock band "The Grateful Dead." Before 1936, the word subculture was only used by scientists to talk about bacterial cultures.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subculture subcultures

The mega-wealthy live in their own parallel societies and subculture — “Richistan” — where this becomes the norm.

From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026

Swing declined in the 1960s, but it resurged decades later—though more as a subculture rather than a mainstream activity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

This techno-libertarian subculture used to be just that: a subculture.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026

That image mushroomed into an entire online subculture and inspired a teenager named Kane Parsons to make a series of hugely popular videos on YouTube.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

If the humans were aware of a fairy subculture, it was only a matter of time before the two species went to war.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Translated in 2014 by Frank Wynne as “Liveforever,” the novel is narrated by María del Carmen Huerta, a well-off young woman from Cali who is sucked into the city’s frenetic world of musical subcultures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

If I were on patrol to figure out where online subcultures were diverging from political reality, I’d start there.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

His content, and that of similar influencers, has brought looksmaxxing out of niche underground subcultures and made it more mainstream.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

Brian James penned “New Rose,” the first U.K. punk single, and helped kick off both hardcore and goth subcultures.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2025

Tightly knit cultures or subcultures, such as that of the police, represent a different kind of locked door.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover