cultivation

noun

cul·​ti·​va·​tion ˌkəl-tə-ˈvā-shən 

1

: culture, refinement

2

: the act or art of cultivating or tilling

Synonyms of cultivation

• 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

Executives in Silicon Valley and Hollywood don’t seem to understand that the cultivation of art also requires the cultivation of artists. —Nick Geisler, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025

These common ground covers have all escaped cultivation and displace native plants in natural habitats. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025

Coffee farms passed down through multiple generations could see an end to a legacy, and the effects could be drastic in parts of the global south where coffee cultivation is an economic pillar. —Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 15 Dec. 2025

Crypto—and the cultivation of foreign investors—remained central to the Trumps’ enrichment strategy. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 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