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

Freedom, mobility; who gets to be an artist; style, ornamentation, artifice; work, leisure; the counterculture; the denigration of femininity; West Coast oddballism. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Matsson grew up with America, and American music, as the holy grail — the folk and blues icons like Dylan and James, the punk bands, the counterculture. — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2026

In 1970, she and fellow protesters were arrested and jailed after occupying the offices of the counterculture Grove Press, whose owner, Barney Rosset, was fighting employees’ efforts to unionize. — Hillel Italie, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Another stop on my list was Haight-Ashbury, the neighborhood known for helping to give rise to the 1960s hippie counterculture. — Sari Hitchins, Parents, 5 Sep. 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