counterculture

noun

coun·​ter·​cul·​ture ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌkəl-chər 

: a culture with values and mores that run counter to those of established society

countercultural

ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈkəlch-rəl, 

-ˈkəl-chə- 

adjective

counterculturalism

ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈkəlch-rə-ˌli-zəm, 

-ˈkəl-chə- 

noun

counterculturist

ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈkəl-chə-rist 

noun

Examples of counterculture in a Sentence

the counterculture of the hippies

He was part of the antiwar counterculture.

Recent Examples on the Web

That same kind of counterculture is what makes Argentina be in such turmoil. — Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

The urban folk music revival had peaked in New York City’s Greenwich Village, and music was embracing the counterculture. — Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026

The United States Surfing Championships would bring the top surfers to the Huntington Beach Pier, and with them a new energy around the counterculture sport. — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 21 June 2026

Washington Square Park, famously known for its openness and association with NYC’s freewheeling counterculture, has moved a step closer to installing permanent gates that would facilitate closing down the park at night. — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for counterculture

• agriculture
• apiculture
• aquaculture
• floriculture
• horticulture
• mariculture
• monoculture
• sericulture
• silviculture
• viticulture
• arboriculture
• culture