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

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

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have subcultured
  perfect
• has subcultured
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are subculturing
  progressive
• have been subculturing
  perfect progressive
• am subculturing
  progressive 1st person singular
• is subculturing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been subculturing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• subculturing
  participle
• subcultures
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had subcultured
  perfect
• was subculturing
  progressive singular
• were subculturing
  progressive plural
• subcultured
  simple
• had been subculturing
  perfect progressive
• subcultured
  participle

Future

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

Some books published by Subculture were pulled from the shelves of Hong Kong’s public libraries earlier this year.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 14, 2021

The fifth edition of his book “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America” includes a chapter on Rick Warren.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2021

To find out, I called up Joe Strike, the author of Furry Nation: The True Story of America’s Most Misunderstood Subculture and a certified greymuzzle, i.e. veteran furry.

From Slate • Jun. 24, 2021

In his classic book Subculture: The Meaning of Style, Dick Hebdige sees the take-up of Dr Martens as the rejection of the explicitly aesthetics-based mod culture of the early 60s.

From The Guardian • Apr. 1, 2020

Subculture, sub-kul′tūr, n. in bacteriology, a culture derived from a previous one.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various