Term: counter
counter (verb / noun / adverb):
- As a verb: to act in opposition to something; to offer a different opinion or a new offer in a negotiation.
- As a noun: a long, flat surface in a shop, bank, or kitchen; or, an action taken to oppose a move by an opponent.
- As an adverb: in the opposite direction or in conflict with something else.
synonyms: (v) oppose, resist, retaliate; (n) surface, tabletop; (adv) contrary, against.
pronunciation: /ˈkaʊn.tər/
translation: pretoties, atspēkot (verb); lete, galds (noun).
example: After the company offered him a lower salary, he decided to counter with a request for more vacation days.
other words from this root: counteract (verb), counter-attack (noun/verb).
Contextual Usage
- Business & Negotiation: Used when you receive a proposal and respond with your own terms.”The buyer made an offer of €200,000, and the seller countered at €220,000.”
- Arguments & Debates: Used when you provide a fact or idea that proves someone else is wrong.”She countered his argument by showing the latest sales figures, which proved the project was actually successful.”
- In the Home/Retail: Refers to the physical surface where work is done or items are sold.”Please leave the keys on the kitchen counter before you leave.”
- Sports & Games: A move made to defend against an attack and immediately start your own.”The boxer waited for his opponent to miss and then delivered a powerful counter-punch.”
- General Direction: Used to describe something going against the normal trend.”His decision to quit a high-paying job to travel went counter to his family’s expectations.”
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
counter (noun)1.
a piece (as of metal or plastic) used in reckoning or in games
2.
something of value in bargaining - asset
3.
a level surface (as a table, shelf or display case) over which transactions are conducted or food is served or on which goods are displayed or work is conducted - jewelry counter a lunch counter
one that - counts , especially a device for indicating a number or amount
transitive verb
1.
a) to act in opposition to - oppose
b) - offset nullify tried to counter the trend toward depersonalization
2.
intransitive verb
to assert in answer - we countered that our warnings had been ignored to meet attacks or arguments with defensive or retaliatory steps
1.
in an opposite or wrong direction
2.
to or toward a different or opposite direction, result, or effect - values that run counter to those of society
1.
- contrary opposite
2.
the after portion of a boat from the waterline to the extreme outward swell or stern overhang
3.
a) the act of making an attack while parrying one (as in boxing) , also a blow thus given in boxing
b) an agency or force that offsets - check
4.
a stiffener to give permanent form to a boot or shoe upper around the heel
5.
an area within the face of a letter wholly or partly enclosed by strokes
6.
a football play in which the ballcarrier goes in a direction opposite to the movement of the play
1.
marked by or tending toward or in an opposite direction or effect
2.
given to or marked by opposition, hostility, or antipathy
3.
situated or lying opposite - the counter side
4.
recalling or ordering back by a superseding contrary order - countermanding counter orders from the colonel
Merriam-Webster Online Thesaurus
counter (adjective)opposed to one's interests
SYNONYMS:
counter, disadvantageous, hostile, inimical, negative, prejudicial, unfavorable, unfriendly, unsympathetic, untowardRELATED WORDS:
bad, baleful, baneful, evil; damaging, deleterious, destructive, detrimental, fatal, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, lethal, malignant, murderous, noxious, pernicious, poisonous, ruinous, threatening, troublesome, unhealthy, wounding; dangerous, hazardous, imperiling ( imperilling), jeopardizing, parlous, perilous, risky, unsafe; calumnious, defamatory, detractive, offensive, scathing, slanderous; antagonistic, antipathetic, inhospitable, intolerant, uncongenial, uncooperative; competing, conflicting, counteracting, countering, opposing, resistant, resistingNEAR ANTONYMS:
beneficial, good, helpful, propitious, useful; harmless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, nondestructive, nonfatal, nonlethal, nonthreatening; unresistant; tolerant, understanding; affable, agreeable, amiable, amicable, benign, benignant, complying, congenial, cordial, friendly, hospitable1.
a force or influence that makes an opposing force ineffective or less effective
SYNONYMS:
balance, canceler ( canceller), corrective, counter, counteraction, counterforce, counterpoise, counterweight, equipoise, neutralizer, offsetRELATED WORDS:
trade-off; ballast, weight2.
something that is as different as possible from something else
SYNONYMS:
antipode, antithesis, contrary, counter, negative, obverse, reverseRELATED WORDS:
negation; antonym; counterpoint; converse, inverse, mirror imageNEAR ANTONYMS:
synonym; analogue ( analog), counterpart; carbon copy, copy, duplicate, replicato strive to reduce or eliminate
SYNONYMS:
battle, combat, contend (with), counter, oppose, oppugnRELATED WORDS:
baffle, checkmate, foil, frustrate, resist, thwart, withstand; confront, defy, face, meetNEAR ANTONYMS:
abide, bear, endure, suffer; advocate, back, champion, endorse ( indorse), support, uphold