cultivation

noun

cul·​ti·​va·​tion ˌkəl-tə-ˈvā-shən 

1

: culture, refinement

2

: the act or art of cultivating or tilling

Synonyms

• culture
• education
• civilization
• accomplishment
• refinement
• knowledge
• literacy
• manners

Examples of cultivation in a Sentence

people of cultivation appreciate the special experience that only live theater can provide

Recent Examples on the Web

As that happened, animal and plant populations shifted range or died out, and hunter-gatherer societies either became nomadic or clustered around remaining water sources and took up one or another form of sedentary agriculture, including the cultivation of the date palm. —Jacob Jones, JSTOR Daily, 13 Aug. 2025

The cultivation and export of flowers has long been one of the most important industries in Colombia, but the best of the bunch always stay closer to home. —Carley Rojas Ávila, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Others include the cultivation of large-scale farms of kelp and seaweed, which also absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. —ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2025

The city previously has approved 20 licenses for various other types of cannabis businesses, from cultivation to off-site distribution, of which only five licenses are active. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing cultivation

• co-cultivation
• self-cultivation

Rhymes for cultivation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

cultivation

noun

cul·​ti·​va·​tion ˌkəl-tə-ˈvā-shən 

1

: the act or art of cultivating especially the soil

2

: refinement sense 2

Medical Definition

cultivation

noun

cul·​ti·​va·​tion ˌkəl-tə-ˈvā-shən 

: culture sense 2