counterstream
|coun-ter-stream|
🇺🇸
/ˈkaʊn.tɚ.striːm/
🇬🇧
/ˈkaʊn.tə.striːm/
flow against
Etymology
'counterstream' originates from a combination of the prefix 'counter-' and the noun 'stream'. 'counter-' comes from Latin via Old French ('contre'/'counter') meaning 'against', and 'stream' comes from Old English 'stream' meaning 'flow'.
'counter-' developed in Middle English from Old French 'contre' (itself from Latin 'contra'), meaning 'against'. 'stream' comes from Old English 'stream' (strēam) and Proto-Germanic *straumaz. The compound 'counterstream' is formed in Modern English by joining these elements to mean a flow against another flow.
Initially the elements meant 'against' and 'flow' respectively; the compound originally described a physical reverse current but has since also taken on a figurative sense of an opposing trend or movement.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a current or flow that runs in the opposite direction to another adjacent current; a reverse or opposing stream.
A sudden counterstream developed near the estuary, pushing floating debris back toward the river mouth.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
a figurative opposing trend or movement that goes against the dominant or prevailing direction (e.g., of opinion, fashion, or policy).
Within the company there was a small counterstream of opinion favoring a different strategy.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Verb 1
to move or cause to move against the direction of another stream; to act against or oppose a prevailing trend or movement.
To counterstream the dominant narrative, the group published alternative data and analyses.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/28 02:09