anti-establishment

adjective

Opposed to the existing sociopolitical system (the establishment).

“The hippies were noted for their anti-establishment ways, firmly opposed to the order their parents so revered.”

Meanings

adjectiveanti-establishment (comparative more anti-establishment, superlative most anti-establishment)

comparative more anti-establishment · superlative most anti-establishment · alternative antiestablishment

  1. Opposed to the existing sociopolitical system (the establishment).

    The hippies were noted for their anti-establishment ways, firmly opposed to the order their parents so revered.

    1 more example

    Almost one-third of Europeans now vote for populist, far-right or far-left parties, research shows, with wide support for anti-establishment politics surging across the continent in an increasingly problematic challenge to the mainstream.

    2023 September 21, Jon Henley, “Revealed: one in three Europeans now votes anti-establishment”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveopposed to the establishment

Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énti
  4. Ancient Greekᾰ̓ντῐ́ (ăntĭ́)
  5. Ancient Greekἀντι- (anti-)
  6. Englishanti-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*sth₂éh₁yeti
  9. Proto-Italic*staējō
  10. Proto-Italic*staēō
  11. Proto-Italic*staðlis?
  12. Latinstabilis
  13. Latinstabilīre
  14. Old Frenchestablir
  15. Old Frenchestablissement
  16. Middle Englishstablishment
  17. Englishestablishment
  18. Englishanti-establishment

From anti- + establishment.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 反建制, 反正統 /反正统
  • 反建制 (fǎnjiànzhì)opposed to the existing system
  • 反正統 /反正统 (fǎnzhèngtǒng)opposed to the existing system
Finnish järjestelmänvastainen, systeeminvastainen
  • järjestelmänvastainenopposed to the existing system
  • systeeminvastainenopposed to the existing system
French antisystème
  • antisystèmeopposed to the existing system
Greek αντικαθεστωτικός
  • αντικαθεστωτικός (antikathestotikós)opposed to the existing system
Persian ضد جریان حاکم
  • ضد جریان حاکمopposed to the existing system
Portuguese antiestabelecimento
  • antiestabelecimentoopposed to the existing system
Cite this entry
APA

anti-establishment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anti-establishment

MLA

“anti-establishment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anti-establishment. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anti-establishment,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anti-establishment.

Source: anti-establishment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.