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Why do electrons move opposite to the electric field in a metal conductor?

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density current: descent to the ocean floor — density current Diagram showing the behaviour of a density current as it descends to the seafloor.

In a metal conductor, electrons move opposite to the direction of the applied electric field because they carry a negative electric charge.1

The electric field is defined by the force it exerts on a positive test charge; therefore, the direction of the field is the direction in which a positive charge would be pushed. Because the force exerted on a negative charge is always opposite to the force exerted on a positive charge, electrons are accelerated in the direction opposite to the electric field vector.1

When an electric field is applied to a metal, these electrons—which are free to roam through the crystal lattice—are pulled by the field while simultaneously undergoing periodic collisions with atoms. This interaction results in a net average motion known as drift velocity, which is directed against the electric field.23