1. reforms undertaken in response to or in opposition to other reforms, especially the religious and institutional reforms of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th and 17th centuries in reaction to the Protestant Reformation
Usage: often capitalized when referring to the historical Counter-Reformation; plural form; singular is counterreform
2. any reforms introduced to reverse or oppose previous reforms
Usage: general usage, not limited to religious history

Examples

• The Council of Trent was a major part of the Catholic counterreforms of the 16th century.
• The government's counterreforms aimed to undo the previous administration's education policies.
• Historians study the counterreforms as a response to the spread of Protestantism.
• The counterreforms strengthened the authority of the Pope and the Catholic hierarchy.
• Some viewed the counterreforms as necessary corrections, while others saw them as reactionary.
• The counterreforms included the establishment of new religious orders and stricter discipline within the Church.