Meaning & use
counterrevolution
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Meaning
nouncountable
A political movement or action that tries to reverse the changes made by a revolution.
Grammar: Countable: you can talk about a counterrevolution or several counterrevolutions.
Patterns
- lead a counterrevolution
- a counterrevolution against something
The government feared a counterrevolution by supporters of the old regime.
After the revolution, a violent counterrevolution broke out in the south.
Historians study how counterrevolutions often restore parts of the previous system.
Word forms
| plural | counterrevolutions |
|---|
Common combinations
- violent counterrevolution
- The violent counterrevolution left many dead.
- lead a counterrevolution
- A former general led the counterrevolution against the new government.
- suppress a counterrevolution
- The revolutionary council moved quickly to suppress any counterrevolution.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reaction
- Broader term for opposition to political change; counterrevolution specifically targets a revolution.
Opposites
Word family
- counterrevolutionary adjective
- Describing something related to a counterrevolution.
- revolution noun
- A complete change in government or system, often violent.
Commonly confused: counterrevolution or revolution?
counterrevolution vs revolution
A revolution overthrows a system; a counterrevolution tries to undo that overthrow.
Practice
After the people overthrew the king, a ___ tried to put him back on the throne.
Choose one answer.
A counterrevolution is a movement against a revolution, aiming to restore the old order. A revolution would be the original overthrow; a rebellion is a general uprising; a coup is a sudden seizure of power, often by a small group.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “counterrevolution”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.