countercoup: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Formal, Academic, Journalistic
Quick answer
What does “countercoup” mean?
A coup d'état undertaken in response to or to reverse a previous coup.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A coup d'état undertaken in response to or to reverse a previous coup.
Any decisive action taken to oppose or reverse a sudden, forceful change in leadership or policy, often within a political or organizational context.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or spelling. Usage is equally rare in both varieties.
Connotations
Neutral, descriptive of a political event. May carry connotations of political instability, complex power struggles, and often violence.
Frequency
Extremely low-frequency term, found almost exclusively in historical, political science, or current affairs contexts detailing specific events.
Grammar
How to Use “countercoup” in a Sentence
The [military] launched a countercoup against the [new junta].A countercoup was staged by [loyalist forces].Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Used metaphorically for a hostile boardroom takeover followed by a reversal.
Academic
Primary context. Used in political science, history, and international relations to analyse power transitions.
Everyday
Virtually never used in casual conversation.
Technical
Specific to political and military analysis of irregular government overthrows.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “countercoup”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “countercoup”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “countercoup”
- Using it to mean any opposition or protest (it requires an attempt to seize power).
- Spelling as 'counter-coup' (while sometimes seen, the closed form 'countercoup' is standard).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A revolution is a mass uprising aiming for fundamental systemic change. A countercoup is a narrower, often elite-driven action to reverse a specific seizure of power.
No, it is exclusively a noun. The related verb would be 'to stage/mount/launch a countercoup'.
There's no set time, but it typically occurs in the immediate aftermath (days or weeks) while the new regime is still unstable.
A countercoup is a specific, decisive action to seize back central power. A civil war is a prolonged, large-scale conflict between organized groups within a country, which may involve multiple battles and control of territory.
A coup d'état undertaken in response to or to reverse a previous coup.
Countercoup is usually formal, academic, journalistic in register.
Countercoup: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkaʊn.tə.kuː/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkaʊn.t̬ɚ.kuː/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: COUNTER (against) + COUP (a sudden strike). It's the strike *back* after the first political strike.
Conceptual Metaphor
POLITICAL POWER IS A PHYSICAL OBJECT THAT CAN BE SEIZED AND RE-SEIZED IN A STRUGGLE.
Practice
Quiz
What is a defining characteristic of a countercoup?