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
Columbine expert Dave Cullen has addressed the subculture, known as TCC or TeeCeeCee online.
—
Jolene Almendarez, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
Adorned with gilded buttons, her look nodded to fashions of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, key influences of the goth subculture.
—Hannah Malach, WWD, 4 Mar. 2025
Williamson spends the entire movie moving from one L.A. locale and subculture to another, meeting a motley crew of criminals rich, scrappy, and everything in between, along the way.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 24 Feb. 2025
His aunt, Kim Bowen, a stylist who was part of London’s 1970s New Romantic subculture, known for its flamboyant fashion, lived and worked in Los Angeles in the 1990s.
—Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subculture
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jolene Almendarez, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
Adorned with gilded buttons, her look nodded to fashions of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, key influences of the goth subculture.
—Hannah Malach, WWD, 4 Mar. 2025
Williamson spends the entire movie moving from one L.A. locale and subculture to another, meeting a motley crew of criminals rich, scrappy, and everything in between, along the way.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 24 Feb. 2025
His aunt, Kim Bowen, a stylist who was part of London’s 1970s New Romantic subculture, known for its flamboyant fashion, lived and worked in Los Angeles in the 1990s.
—Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subculture
Cite this Entry
“Subculture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subculture. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share