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counterculture

counterculture

17 7.3
A way of life and set of values that are against the main ideas of most people
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊntərˌkʌlʧər/
translation icon : contracultura
  • But when he encountered the counterculture and anti-war movements in the United States, he decided to stay.
  • subcultures and countercultures
  • counterculture movement
  • 1960s counterculture

So that's not, you know, this is not counterculture anymore.

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Examples

  • The marijuana trade picked up in the 1960s and 1970s with rising demand from the U.S. counterculture.

    Academic text (2009)
  • And I think since the collapse of the counterculture, it's a lot harder.

  • That was the counterculture of its day.

  • The point is that the Counterculture was all through this area and it was also all through the tech world.

  • The role of counterculture is to wake up the mainstream.

  • I saw her as the poster child for the counterculture, which was now being labeled the New Age.

    Academic text (2001)
  • It's a fantastic book about early Apple days and how hippie counterculture influenced jobs in Apple.

  • The sport provided an important vehicle for the urban counterculture to challenge Victorian sensibilities.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Her friends are depicted in their counterculture regalia of headbands, moccasins, and blankets.

    Academic text (2004)
  • In the 1960s, many young people embraced a counterculture that rejected mainstream values and promoted peace and love.

Synonyms

subculture
vscounterculture
28 5.4

A group inside a larger society with different values or interests

stands for broad opposition to mainstream values rather than belonging to just one group
alternative lifestyle
vscounterculture
4 4.7

A way of living that is different from most people's daily life

is more strongly opposed to mainstream values and norms

Antonyms

75 3.4

The ideas and activities most people accept as normal

How Countercultural

radicalism
14 8.1
counterculture
17 7.3
subculture
28 5.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

counterculture = culture (transparent) = counter + culture

Meaning is directly derived from the productive prefix 'counter-' (against/opposed to) combined with 'culture', so learners who know these parts can infer the sense.

Etymology

The word counterculture is made from counter- meaning 'against', like in counterattack, and culture meaning 'way of life'. So a counterculture is a group whose way of life and values are 'against' the mainstream society.