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

subcultural

ˌsəb-ˈkəlch-rəl, 

-ˈkəl-chə- 

adjective

subculturally adverb

subculture transitive verb

Examples of subculture in a Sentence

a subculture of local painters

a subculture of poverty and crime

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s an image of New York City, calcified in film, memoir, and newsprint, of a city built on a foundation of scruffy subcultures, especially those communities grounded in the city’s hundreds of distinct diasporas. —Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026

The subculture was helped into the mainstream by South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie, noted the BBC. —Semafor Staff, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026

The community is an online subculture that emerged from forums established after the Columbine massacre to discuss and, in some cases, glorify such violence. —Maria Verza, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026

Berlin, shaped by division, ideology, subculture, and transformation, resonates strongly with the tensions at the heart of Balkan Erotic Epic, between East and West, communism and capitalism, and competing historical narratives. —George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for subculture

• agriculture
• apiculture
• aquaculture
• counterculture
• floriculture
• horticulture
• mariculture
• monoculture
• sericulture
• silviculture
• viticulture
• arboriculture

Medical 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

subcultural

-ˈkəlch-(ə-)rəl 

adjective

subculturally

-ē 

adverb

subculture

2 of 2 transitive verb

subcultured; subculturing

: to culture (as bacteria) anew on a fresh medium by inoculation from an older culture