alternative - adjective and noun (Lifestyle and Leisure) adjective: Offering a
different approach from the conventional or established one; belonging to the counter-culture. noun:
An approach that is
alternative in this way; also, a follower of
alternative culture.
Etymology : A simple development of sense:
alternative first meant 'offering a choice between two things', but by the end of the last century could be used to refer to choices involving more than two options. The meaning dealt with here probably arose from the phrase
alternative society (see
below ). History and
Usage : The word
alternative was first used in this sense when the
hippie culture of the late sixties, with its rejection of materialism and traditional Western values, was described as an
alternative society. Almost immediately, anything that served the counter-culture also came to be described as
alternative (for example the
alternative press, consisting of those newspapers and magazines that were aimed at radical youth); uses arose from within the counter-culture,
too (for example the
alternative prospectus, which gave the students' view of an educational establishment rather than the official view). Although the term
alternative society itself had fallen from fashion by the end of the seventies, the
adjective enjoyed a new vogue in the eighties as the
green movement urged
society to seek new approaches to natural resources, fuel sources, etc. and the health and fitness movement became increasingly influential in advocating unconventional medical therapies. The most
important alternatives of the past decade have been:
alternative birth, birthing (Health and Fitness), any method of childbirth that tries to get away from the intrusive, high-tech
approach of modern medicine towards a more natural and homely setting in
which the mother has control;
alternative comedy (
Lifestyle and Leisure), comedy that is not based on stereotypes (especially sexual or racial ones) or on conventional views of humour, but often includes an element of
black humour or surrealism and an aggressive style of performance; also
alternative comedian,
alternative comedienne, practitioners of this;
alternative energy (Environment), energy (such as solar power, wind generation, etc.) derived from any source that does not use up the earth's natural resources of fossil fuels or harm the environment;
alternative medicine, therapy (Health and Fitness),
any medical
technique that aims to promote
health and fitness without the use of drugs, often involving the patient in self-awareness and self-help; complementary medicine;
alternative technology (Environment) (
Science and Technology), technology deliberately designed to
conserve natural resources and avoid harm to the environment, especially by harnessing renewable energy sources. Babies are born with as little medical
intervention as
possible in the hospital's
Alternative Birth
Center , located on a separate
floor from the maternity wing. Money Dec. 1983, p.
205 A recent survey of more than 1,000 practitioners, conducted by the Institute for Complementary Medicine, found the number of patients turning to
alternative therapies growing at an annual rate of 15 per cent, with a 39 per cent increase in patients visiting homeopaths. Chicago Tribune 8 Apr. 1985, p.
1 Jennifer is a 20-year-old
Alternative, with short
platinum hair jelled and sprayed into a cone, bright face,
smart casual clothes and heavy worker's boots. Courier-Mail (Brisbane)
27 Sept. 1988, p.
17 The so-called
alternative comedy boom was initially compared to the punk phenomenon and ultimately has proved to be equally as impotent. Arena Autumn/Winter 1988, p.
163 Waterfall Vegetarian Food...is launching its new range of
alternative salami slices with its Vegelami slice. Grocer 21 Jan. 1989, p.
168 The...Trust will invest in companies working to ensure a better cleaner environment (waste processing,
alternative energy, recycling, etc). Green
Magazine Apr. 1990, p. 82
