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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1