countertendency

noun

coun·ter·ten·den·cy ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈten-dən(t)-sē

variants or counter-tendency

plural countertendencies or counter-tendencies

: a tendency that opposes or offsets another tendency

So what we have in human history is probably a long time, millions of years, in which we were like the current hunter gatherers. Fairly egalitarian. Meaning we had a tendency to build hierarchies, but we also had a countertendency, which is to keep things sort of level.—

Frans de Waal

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of countertendency was in 1849

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Countertendency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/countertendency. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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