counterintelligence: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Formal, Technical, Governmental
Quick answer
What does “counterintelligence” mean?
Activities designed to prevent or thwart an enemy's intelligence gathering and espionage.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Activities designed to prevent or thwart an enemy's intelligence gathering and espionage.
The branch of an intelligence service responsible for protecting its own information, personnel, and operations from hostile intelligence services, through detection, deception, and neutralization.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. Spelling is consistent. The term is heavily associated with national security agencies (MI5, FBI).
Connotations
Connotes secrecy, national security, espionage, and Cold War-era activities in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American English due to the prominence of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division in media.
Grammar
How to Use “counterintelligence” in a Sentence
N of N (counterintelligence of the agency)N against N (counterintelligence against foreign spies)N + noun (counterintelligence operation)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “counterintelligence” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The service works tirelessly to counterintelligence hostile actors.
- Their primary role is to counterintelligence foreign operations.
American English
- The agency's mission is to counterintelligence threats from abroad.
- They were tasked with counterintelligencing the infiltration attempt.
adverb
British English
- The unit operated counterintelligently to mislead the adversary.
- They acted counterintelligence-wise to secure the perimeter.
American English
- The team worked counterintelligently to protect their assets.
- The plan was designed counterintelligence-ly to create a double bluff.
adjective
British English
- He was a counterintelligence specialist.
- The counterintelligence briefing was classified.
American English
- She led the counterintelligence division.
- They implemented new counterintelligence protocols.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in corporate security contexts discussing protection of trade secrets from industrial espionage.
Academic
Used in political science, international relations, and history papers discussing state security.
Everyday
Very rare. Mostly encountered in news, spy novels, films, and documentaries.
Technical
Core term in military, intelligence, and national security discourse, with specific protocols and definitions.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “counterintelligence”
Strong
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “counterintelligence”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “counterintelligence”
- Misspelling as 'counter-intelligence' (hyphen is outdated).
- Using it as a countable noun (e.g., 'a counterintelligence' is incorrect).
- Confusing it with 'counterterrorism', which targets terrorist groups, not intelligence services.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Counterintelligence targets the espionage activities of foreign states or organizations. Counterterrorism targets terrorist groups and their activities, which may or may not involve espionage.
Standard dictionaries list it as a noun only. In professional jargon, it is sometimes used verbally (e.g., 'to counterintelligence a threat'), but this is non-standard. The preferred phrasing is 'to conduct counterintelligence against'.
Security is a broad term for protection measures. Counterintelligence is a specific type of security focused on actively identifying, deceiving, and neutralizing foreign intelligence threats.
In the UK, MI5 (Security Service) has a domestic counterintelligence mandate. In the US, the FBI handles domestic counterintelligence, while the CIA has a role in foreign counterintelligence.
Activities designed to prevent or thwart an enemy's intelligence gathering and espionage.
Counterintelligence is usually formal, technical, governmental in register.
Counterintelligence: in British English it is pronounced /ˌkaʊntərɪnˈtelɪdʒəns/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌkaʊn(t)ərɪnˈtɛlədʒəns/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A game of cat and mouse (often describes counterintelligence work)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: COUNTER (against) + INTELLIGENCE (spying). It's the intelligence work done *against* the other side's intelligence work.
Conceptual Metaphor
SECURITY AS A SHIELD / WAR. (e.g., 'The first line of defence is robust counterintelligence.')
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary goal of counterintelligence?