counter clockwise
Against the clock
Counterclockwise describes rotation in the direction opposite to a clock's hands—leftward when viewed from above or facing the object.
Turn a jar lid counterclockwise to open it.
In British English, the term is anticlockwise.
The direction matters in contexts from loosening screws to dance steps to meteorological patterns: hurricanes spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.
Rotating opposite to clock hands
- widdershinsAgainst the sun's path
- leftwardToward the left
- left-handOn the port side
- sinistralLeft-side dominant
turn · spin · revolve · rotate · swirl · whirl · pivot · gyrate
Opposed in nature
- inverseOpposite in position
- oppositeReverse or contrary thing
- reverseTurn to opposite
- backwardsToward what's behind
retrograde · countercurrent · contraflow · against · athwart · reversed · inverted · unwinding
anticlockwise
Rotating opposite to clock hands
- widdershinsAgainst the sun's path
- leftwardToward the left
- left-handOn the port side
sinistral · turn · spin · revolve · rotate · swirl · whirl · pivot · gyrate · twirl
contrary
Opposed in nature
backwards · retrograde · countercurrent · contraflow · against · athwart · reversed · inverted · unwinding · undoing