subculture

play

noun sub·cul·ture \ˈsəb-ˌkəl-chər\

Definition of subculture

1a : a culture (as of bacteria) derived from another cultureb : an act or instance of producing a subculture
2 : an ethnic, regional, economic, or social group exhibiting characteristic patterns of behavior sufficient to distinguish it from others within an embracing culture or society a criminal subculture

subcultural

play \-ˈkəlch-rəl, -ˈkəl-chə-\ adjective

subculturally

adverb

subculture

transitive verb

See subculture defined for English-language learners

Examples of subculture in a Sentence

a subculture of local painters
a subculture of poverty and crime

Recent Examples of subculture from the Web

Pepe the Frog, a symbol of Alt-Right online communities, appears on a sign at a Trump rally (Reuters: Carlo Allegri) An entertaining new book explores the roots and rise of the Internet’s most infamous subculture.

— michael brendan dougherty, National Review, "The Kids Are Alt-Right," 11 July 2017
Indeed, press reports in the late 19th century are riddled with depictions of a complex and thriving gay subculture.

— steve rothaus, miamiherald, "South Florida LGBTQ activists plan art-centered Key West to Cuba Festival," 30 June 2017
Coach came of age as American style and subcultures and counter-cultures were forming.

— jonathan evans, Esquire, "An Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Look at Coach's New Campaign," 28 June 2017
Groups of young people had spent years building and participating in what felt to them like an independent subculture.

— john herrman, New York Times, "Why the Far Right Wants to Be the New ‘Alternative’ Culture," 27 June 2017
The debate happening in this Payne Land courtyard is playing out across the country among subcultures and communities of women who, on both sides of the issue, are grappling with what beauty really means—and what sacrifices are worth making for it.

— marlon james, Marie Claire, "Why Black Women in a Predominately Black Culture Are Still Bleaching Their Skin," 21 June 2017
Built to Fail, premiering at the Los Angeles Film Festival on Saturday, explores the fashion phenom that has gone from the subcultures of the skate and punk movement to a mainstream $70 billion industry.

— stephanie chan, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Hundreds Co-Founder Calls 'Built to Fail' Doc "Greatest Streetwear Collaboration of All Time"," 17 June 2017
Spaces that have traditionally been held for — and by — subcultures have lost their character as new residents seek out places that aren’t dominated by sunglasses-indoors-throwing-their-money-around dudes.

— pam mandel, Longreads, "Another Tech Casualty: Dating," 7 June 2017
That’s because much of the novel is written using Nadsat, a dystopian teenage subculture language fusing British rhyming slang and Russian that Burgess created for the book.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Anthony Burgess’ Legendary Dictionary of Slang Lives," 7 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'subculture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.