countermovement

noun

coun·​ter·​move·​ment ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌmüv-mənt 

variants or counter-movement

plural countermovements or counter-movements

1

: a movement in an opposite direction

She observed that whenever the body abruptly moves one way, there is a fallout of countermovements and readjustments …

—Paul Trachtman

Suburban stress has not produced any large-scale countermovement back to the cities or out to the countryside, however.

—William Schneider

2

: an organized movement that arises in opposition to something

Opponents labeled the whole program socialistic, and, in the 1960s, a strong countermovement developed …

—The Bangor Daily News

Examples of countermovement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Although the mainstream perfume business has long run on seduction, celebrity and the idea that a person must have a signature scent, a burgeoning countermovement, driven by independent artisans, is questioning the idea that a perfume’s central function is to delight the noses of others. —Cassidy George, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024

In 2024, countermovements to take racist and classist history seriously will continue to run up against strong undercurrents of political scapegoating and zero-sum thinking throughout both countries, increasing the severity and reach of weathering. —Arline Geronimus, WIRED, 19 Jan. 2024

Donna Whitmore, a lifelong Hayward resident, is part of a countermovement that says the story of Russell City has been wrongly co-opted by local politicians, national media and reparations advocates to serve as an example of unjust government actions against African Americans. —Lindsey Davis, NBC News, 19 June 2023

Meanwhile, a countermovement in support of law enforcement has begun to clash with the protests, sometimes leading to violence. —Michael Lee, Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1