counter-culture
counter-culture
Pronunciation
/ˈkaʊntərˌkʌltʃər/
coun /kaʊn/: Diphthong /aʊ/ followed by a nasal consonant /n/.
ter /tər/: Alveolar flap /t/ followed by a rhotic vowel /ər/.
cul /kʌl/: Velar stop /k/ followed by a stressed vowel /ʌ/ and a lateral approximant /l/.
ture /tʃər/: Palato-alveolar affricate /tʃ/ followed by a rhotic vowel /ər/.
Word Form Variations
Singular noun: counter-culture
Plural noun: counter-cultures
Adjective: counter-cultural
Adverb: counter-culturally (less common, but grammatically possible)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A subculture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, often in opposition to conventional social, political, or economic institutions.
Synonyms: subculture, alternative culture, bohemianism, dissent
Antonyms: mainstream, establishment, status quo, orthodoxy
Definition 2: A movement or way of life that rejects the dominant societal norms and values, seeking to create a new, often more egalitarian or authentic, social order.
Synonyms: rebellion, nonconformity, radicalism, underground
Antonyms: conformity, traditionalism, conventionalism, obedience
Adjective
Definition: Relating to, characteristic of, or promoting a counter-culture.
Synonyms: nonconformist, alternative, rebellious, unconventional
Antonyms: mainstream, conventional, established, traditional
Examples of Use
News and Journalism
"The article explored how the music of the 1960s was a powerful expression of the counter-culture movement, challenging authority and promoting peace."
"In a recent op-ed, a journalist argued that the rise of online communities dedicated to sustainable living and homesteading represents a modern-day counter-culture."
Books and Academia
"The professor's lecture focused on the Beat Generation as a literary counter-culture that rejected post-war American materialism."
"A chapter in the book The Sociology of Subcultures is dedicated to the study of various counter-culture groups throughout history, from the Romantics to the punks."
Entertainment and Media
"The film's protagonist, a disillusioned artist living in a commune, is a classic depiction of a figure from the 1970s counter-culture."
"On the podcast, the host and their guest discussed how the independent video game scene often acts as a counter-culture to the mainstream, big-budget gaming industry."
General Public Discourse
"My grandparents often talk about how the hippie counter-culture changed everything, from music and fashion to people's attitudes about war and politics."
"You could say that the vegan movement started as a small counter-culture, but it has now become a significant force in the food industry."
10 Famous Quotes Using Counter-culture
"It's pretty clear now that what looked like it might have been some kind of counter-culture is, in reality, just the plain old chaos of undifferentiated weirdness." — Jerry Garcia
"The counter-culture has nothing to do with Dolce & Gabbana having a 'Hippy Summer' or something. Street kids, and kids who want to live in any sort of counter-cultural experience other than what's being presented by the mainstream media or political climate, or 'normal' cultural climate, are never going to look like that." — Chris Robinson
"I always expect there to be a new counter-culture coming up, something that would make punk look as ridiculous as punk made the hippies look." — Grant Hart
"We got a counterculture you can buy off a shelf." — Billy Talent (from the song "Surprise Surprise")
"A Christian counter-culture with its own distinctive goals, values, standards, and lifestyle—a realistic alternative to the contemporary technocracy which is marked by bondage, materialism, self-centeredness, and greed." — John Stott
"Except in the areas of civil rights and medical marijuana, the legacy of the sixties counterculture has been largely superficial." — Tom Robbins
"I grew up counter-culture. I'm essentially a hippie, and I'm essentially a folkie." — Steve Earle
"My generation's apathy. I'm disgusted with it. I'm disgusted with my own apathy too, for being spineless and not always standing up against racism, sexism and all those other -isms the counter-culture has been whining about for years." — Kurt Cobain
"The people who invented the twenty-first century were pot-smoking, sandal-wearing hippies from the West Coast like Steve, because they saw differently... The sixties produced an anarchic mind-set that is great for imagining a world not yet in existence." — Walter Isaacson (quoting Steve Jobs on the influence of counter-culture)
"Bernstein looked like one of those counter-culture journalists that Woodward despised." — Carl Bernstein, All the President's Men
Etymology
The word "counter-culture" is a combination of two English words: "counter" and "culture."
"Counter" comes from the Latin word contra, meaning "against" or "opposite to."
"Culture" comes from the Latin word cultura, which refers to the cultivation of the land, but later evolved to mean the cultivation of the mind, and eventually, the customs and achievements of a particular people.
So, when you put them together, you get "counter-culture," which literally means "against the culture." It's a way of describing a group that has beliefs and behaviors that are the opposite of the mainstream or dominant culture.
The term itself is a relatively modern one, becoming popular in the late 1960s. It was used to describe the youth movement of that era, which was rebelling against the established social norms and political policies of the time, especially in places like the United States. This movement was characterized by its opposition to the Vietnam War, its embrace of new forms of music and art, and its questioning of traditional values. While groups with opposing views have existed throughout history, the specific term "counter-culture" gained widespread use during this period to define this particular kind of social and political dissent.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Counter-culture
A counter-culture icon
The counter-culture movement
A counter-culture ethos
To embrace a counter-culture lifestyle
Part of the counter-culture
Counter-culture revolution
A beacon of counter-culture
Swimming against the current of the dominant culture
Challenging the status quo
Rejecting the mainstream
Following the beat of a different drum
Living on the fringe of society
A bohemian spirit
An alternative way of life
The underground scene
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of counter-culture from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
