cross-fertilization
noun
cross-fer·til·i·za·tion
ˈkrȯs-ˌfər-tə-lə-ˈzā-shən 
1
a
: fertilization in which the gametes are produced by separate individuals or sometimes by individuals of different kinds
2
: interchange or interaction (as between different ideas, cultures, or categories) especially of a broadening or productive nature
Examples of cross-fertilization in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One of the last and most powerful intersections in the arts, where cross-fertilization and creative renewal can and should happen, is between film and opera.
—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
In the public debate, there are those who speak only about such cultural cross-fertilization, and those who speak only about restitution.
—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2025
There are arguments for Turkish, Serbo-Croatian, and Lithuanian roots, among others, suggestive of the linguistic cross-fertilizations of central and southeastern Europe.
—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Sep. 2025
Yet today this cross-fertilization is no longer an occasional, sporadic benefit.
—
Knowable Magazine,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 July 2025
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Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
In the public debate, there are those who speak only about such cultural cross-fertilization, and those who speak only about restitution.
—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2025
There are arguments for Turkish, Serbo-Croatian, and Lithuanian roots, among others, suggestive of the linguistic cross-fertilizations of central and southeastern Europe.
—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Sep. 2025
Yet today this cross-fertilization is no longer an occasional, sporadic benefit.
—
Knowable Magazine,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cross-fertilization.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cross-fertilization. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
cross-fertilization
noun
cross-fer·til·iza·tion
variants
or British cross-fertilisation
: fertilization in which the gametes are produced by separate individuals or sometimes by individuals of different kinds
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