countercultural
Against mainstream values
Countercultural describes attitudes, behaviors, or movements that reject or oppose the dominant values and norms of mainstream society.
The term emerged prominently in the 1960s to characterize youth movements challenging established social conventions around authority, sexuality, and materialism.
Something countercultural deliberately positions itself against prevailing culture: The commune represented a countercultural experiment in collective living.
The word functions as both adjective and, less commonly, noun referring to participants in such movements.
Rejects prevailing social standards
- bohemianArtistic nonconformist type
- beatnikFifties counterculture member
- hippieSixties counterculture member
- punkRaw, fast rock genre
outsider · maverick · iconoclast · freethinker · dropout · dissident · eccentric · individualist
Countercultural youth phenomenon
- punk rockStripped-down aggressive rock genre
- psychedeliaDrug-inspired artistic movement
- DadaismAbsurdist artistic rebellion
- free loveUnstructured romantic and sexual bonds
anti-establishment · underground · commune · Woodstock · Haight-Ashbury · squatting · DIY ethic · back-to-the-land
Public display of opinion
- activismDirect effort for reform
- civil disobediencePeaceful refusal to obey
- sit-inProtest by remaining seated
- rallyGathering for a cause
boycott · resistance · march · grassroots · occupation · direct action · solidarity · picketing
Open resistance to authority
- subversionUndermining established authority
- revolutionViolent governmental overthrow
- dissentDisagreement with authority
- transgressionViolation of law or code
radicalism · uprising · resistance · insurrection · revolt · unrest · mutiny · sedition
nonconformist
Rejects prevailing social standards
- bohemianArtistic nonconformist type
- beatnikFifties counterculture member
- hippieSixties counterculture member
punk · outsider · maverick · iconoclast · freethinker · dropout · dissident · eccentric · individualist · contrarian
hippie movement
Countercultural youth phenomenon
- punk rockStripped-down aggressive rock genre
- psychedeliaDrug-inspired artistic movement
- DadaismAbsurdist artistic rebellion
free love · anti-establishment · underground · commune · Woodstock · Haight-Ashbury · squatting · DIY ethic · back-to-the-land · anarcho-punk
demonstration
Public display of opinion
- activismDirect effort for reform
- civil disobediencePeaceful refusal to obey
- sit-inProtest by remaining seated
rally · boycott · resistance · march · grassroots · occupation · direct action · solidarity · picketing · banner
defiance
Open resistance to authority
- subversionUndermining established authority
- revolutionViolent governmental overthrow
- dissentDisagreement with authority
transgression · radicalism · uprising · resistance · insurrection · revolt · unrest · mutiny · sedition · insurgency
- unconventionalunconventional, nontraditional, nonconformist, unorthodox, offbeat
- alt fashionpunk, goth, grunge, leather jackets, leather jacket
- subculturespunk, punks, hippie, goth, hippies
counterculturalconventional
Following accepted practices
conformist · mainstream · traditional · orthodox · establishment
counterculturalassimilated
Absorbed into a whole
integrated · socialized · acculturated · well-adjusted · insider
- 1960s countercultureSixties anti-establishment movement
- countercultural movement
- counterculture movementOpposition to prevailing social norms