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

In 1972, Hannes (Enzo Brumm), a gangly farm boy adrift in a hedonistic haze of hormones and counterculture, stumbles upon a revelation through his contact with a love interest’s geranium. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Mar. 2026

The jersey pays tribute to the band’s influence on psychedelic music and the Bay Area’s counterculture history. —Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026

This two-part investigation begins with Harrison’s early days in Liverpool through his Fab Four years, including sojourns to India that radically changed the aims (and style) of the counterculture in Europe and North America. —Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026

Given these new environmental concerns, the hippie counterculture of the late 1960s and early ’70s dovetailed neatly with the organic-farming movement. —Annie Levin, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 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