subculture

/ˌsʌbˈkʌltʃər/

/ˈsʌbkəltʃə/

Other forms: subcultures

A subculture is a group of people within a larger culture, such as a country, who have something in common. They might share religious or political beliefs or be science fiction fans, for example.

A culture is how people live, sometimes based on where they live — you can refer to American culture, Canadian culture, or to an Australian culture. Within these larger cultures, there are also subcultures of many sizes. The Native American community is a subculture, as is the Mormon community. Also, subcultures can be based on interests, like "Deadheads" who used to follow around the rock band "The Grateful Dead." Before 1936, the word subculture was only used by scientists to talk about bacterial cultures.

Definitions of subculture

1. noun

   a social group within a national culture that has distinctive patterns of behavior and beliefs
   types:

   suburbia

   suburbanites considered as a cultural class or subculture

   youth culture

   young adults (a generational unit) considered as a cultural class or subculture

   psychedelia

   the subculture of users of psychedelic drugs

   hip-hop

   an urban youth culture associated with rap music and the fashions of African-American residents of the inner city

   youth subculture

   a minority youth culture whose distinctiveness depended largely on the social class and ethnic background of its members; often characterized by its adoption of a particular music genre

   type of:

   social group

   people sharing some social relation