Meaning & use
anti-establishment
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Opposed to the people, institutions and ideas that hold power and set the accepted rules in a society.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: an anti-establishment party; her views are anti-establishment.
Patterns
- anti-establishment views
- be anti-establishment
The band's anti-establishment lyrics made it popular with students.
Voters angry at both main parties turned to an anti-establishment candidate.
His anti-establishment attitude got him into trouble at the bank.
Word forms
| comparative | more anti-establishment |
|---|---|
| superlative | most anti-establishment |
Common combinations
- anti-establishment sentiment
- Anti-establishment sentiment grew during the long recession.
- anti-establishment candidate
- The anti-establishment candidate surprised everyone in the primary.
- anti-establishment views
- She held strong anti-establishment views from a young age.
- anti-establishment movement
- An anti-establishment movement formed around the new party.
- anti-establishment mood
- There was an anti-establishment mood among younger voters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rebellious
- This describes any resistance to rules and authority, while anti-establishment points to powerful institutions and elites.
- radical
- This suggests extreme or fundamental change, which may or may not target the ruling class.
- countercultural
- This is about a way of life against mainstream culture, rather than politics and power.
- populist
- This is about appeals to ordinary people against elites, and is a political style more than an attitude.
Opposites
Word family
- establishment noun
- the group of people with power in society
- establish verb
- to set up firmly
- antiestablishmentarian noun
- a person who opposes the establishment
- anti-authoritarian adjective
- opposed to strict obedience to authority
Commonly confused: anti-establishment or anti-social?
anti-establishment vs anti-social
Anti-social behavior is harmful to others; anti-establishment is about opposing powerful institutions.
Practice
A singer who mocks politicians and big banks in every song could be described as ___.
Choose one answer.
Mocking the powerful marks the singer as anti-establishment. Pro-establishment is the opposite, and anti-social describes harmful behavior toward others.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “anti-establishment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.