countercurrent

American  

[koun-ter-kur-uhnt] / ˈkaʊn tərˌkɜr ənt /

noun

1. a current running in an opposite direction to another current.

2. a movement, opinion, mood, etc., contrary to the prevailing one.

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countercurrent Scientific  

/ koun′tər-kûr′ənt /

1. A current that flows in an opposite direction to the flow of another current.

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Other Word Forms

• countercurrently
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of countercurrent

First recorded in 1675–85; counter- + current

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

countercurrent

Yet there is a countercurrent: Its population is shrinking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Still, some of the most standout moments at Coachella 2026 seemed almost indifferent to that logic, suggesting that — as music is wont to do — a countercurrent may be bubbling up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026

The countercurrent adaption is found in many animals, including dolphins, sharks, bony fish, bees, and hummingbirds.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

You're right that that's coming back to the fore today, although I think there's also a strong countercurrent.

From Salon ● May 15, 2022

There are two currents here: an upper current, long known to exist, that carries the ocean's waters into the Mediterranean basin; then a lower countercurrent, the only present–day proof of its existence being logic.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by F. P. Walter