Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mallternative

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: mall-ter-na-tive
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any style or genre that is ostensibly counterculture or alternative, but actually mainstream enough to be encountered at a mall, or among the type of people who frequent a mall.

Derogatory; Uncountable

noun

An alternative to a mall, particularly an open-air urban shopping district.

Countable

Example Sentences

"As the "over-the-counterculture'" has grown, as once cutting-edge alternative styles and products have become "mallternative," Newbury Comics has benefited from the market moving in its direction. Black leather biker jackets, body piercings, tattoos, and jarring hairstyles, which once could shock the counterculturally challenged, today are part of a lifestyle choice that barely raises eyebrows."
"Although several energy-depleting surface parking lots remain, Mass Avenue's interesting mix of business and people is quickly turning it into a full-fledged window shopper's mallternative, full of energy."

Etymology

Blend of mall + alternative.

Usage

Inflected Forms

mallternatives (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

malternative

Questions

What does mallternative mean?: Any style or genre that is ostensibly counterculture or alternative, but actually mainstream enough to be encountered at a mall, or among the type of people who frequent a mall.
Where does mallternative come from?: Blend of mall + alternative.

How to pronounce mallternative

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