subcult

noun

sub·​cult ˈsəb-ˌkəlt 

variants or sub-cult

plural subcults or sub-cults

: a cult that is part of a larger cult

an extremist subcult

One of the most powerful agents of the behavior cult is the subcult of work, which focuses on the amount of energy people expend.

—Thomas F. Gilbert

… a time when almost everybody in the country has more clothes than they can keep track of, and when fashion has splintered into a zillion subcults …

—Patricia McLaughlin

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above