subculture
noun
sub·cul·ture
ˈsəb-ˌkəl-chər 
1
a
: a culture (as of bacteria) derived from another culture
b
: 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
Examples of subculture in a Sentence
a subculture of local painters
a subculture of poverty and crime
Recent Examples on the Web
Online, Illenium has become something of a symbol for a distinctive modern Asian American subculture that is regularly identified through references to boba, K-pop and Korean streetwear, gaming, and of course, raves.
—
Steffi Cao, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2024
Bird After dipping into documentary (Cow), television (Transparent, Big Little Lies) and U.S. youth subculture (American Honey), Andrea Arnold’s new feature appears to be a return to the Brit kitchen-sink realism of her breakout works Red Road and Fish Tank.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
The art form has long been popular amongst Black nerd and gamer subcultures and has been loved and referenced in Black art (and vice versa) for decades.
—Aj Morris, Essence, 10 May 2024
Users complained of appropriation, of big media big-footing, of The Man swooping in to claim a piece of a sacred subculture.
—Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Very early on, hip-hop communities (like many subcultures) found a home on the internet.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 6 May 2024
In the past, tastemakers in the worlds of fashion, art, and music established careers through this sort of arbitrage—plucking interesting developments from subcultures to dangle as novelties in the mass market.
—W. David Marx, The Atlantic, 1 May 2024
Harajuku Harajuku is the epicenter of Japanese street-fashion and fashion subcultures.
—John Clifford, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
Whatever the forum, the subculture’s real-life effects have been persistent and deadly.
—USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Steffi Cao, Rolling Stone, 18 May 2024
Bird After dipping into documentary (Cow), television (Transparent, Big Little Lies) and U.S. youth subculture (American Honey), Andrea Arnold’s new feature appears to be a return to the Brit kitchen-sink realism of her breakout works Red Road and Fish Tank.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
The art form has long been popular amongst Black nerd and gamer subcultures and has been loved and referenced in Black art (and vice versa) for decades.
—Aj Morris, Essence, 10 May 2024
Users complained of appropriation, of big media big-footing, of The Man swooping in to claim a piece of a sacred subculture.
—Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Very early on, hip-hop communities (like many subcultures) found a home on the internet.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 6 May 2024
In the past, tastemakers in the worlds of fashion, art, and music established careers through this sort of arbitrage—plucking interesting developments from subcultures to dangle as novelties in the mass market.
—W. David Marx, The Atlantic, 1 May 2024
Harajuku Harajuku is the epicenter of Japanese street-fashion and fashion subcultures.
—John Clifford, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
Whatever the forum, the subculture’s real-life effects have been persistent and deadly.
—USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subculture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near subculture
Cite this Entry
“Subculture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subculture. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
subculture
1 of 2 noun
sub·cul·ture
ˈsəb-ˌkəl-chər
1
: a culture (as of bacteria) derived from another culture
2
: an act or instance of producing a subculture
subculture
2 of 2 transitive verb
subcultured; subculturing
: to culture (as bacteria) anew on a fresh medium by inoculation from an older culture
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