culled

1 of 2

adjective

ˈkəld 

1

: selected or chosen from a group

The … weighty but not overstuffed shelves of carefully culled selections—Dan Brown, yes; Danielle Steele, no, per the curator of manuscripts—beseech that titles be taken down and opened …

—Sarah Schweitzer

… the Yahk camp has been warned by Conservation Officers for dumping their culled berries near the town, creating a significant bear attraction.

—The Creston Valley (British Columbia) Advance

2

a

of a population : reduced in size by removal (as by hunting or slaughter) of especially weak or sick individuals

… a new levy would be issued to dairy farmers to cover some of the compensation costs for culled herds …, the report said.

—Sally Rae

… here no vast forests were left standing; instead, carefully culled stands of oaks provided a bounteous crop of acorns for many thousands of pigs let loose to graze among them during the winter.

—C. McCullough

b

: removed (as by hunting or slaughter) for culling (see cull entry 1 sense 2)

The culling program has been controversial from the start. Each winter, some of the culled animals are killed by hunters …; others are slaughtered for meat.

—Camila Domonoske

… the ministry ordered the slaughter of about 22,300 cows in a bid to control the spread of the disease. … The meat from the culled cattle can be consumed because the disease does not infect humans …

—The Ashburton (New Zealand) Courier

culled

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of cull entry 1

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1572, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for culled

• dulled
• hulled
• lulled
• mulled
• unequaled