1
as in developing
to come to have gradually
cultivated a taste for opera in order to fit in with his new circle of friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in promoting
to help the growth or development of
cultivated a passion for learning among his students over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in growing
to look after or assist the growth of by labor and care
in an attempt to produce New World counterparts of the wines that he had enjoyed in Europe, Jefferson cultivated several varieties of grapes at Monticello
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in harvesting
to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on
we ought to cultivate the field out back
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cultivating
At Miracle Fruit Farm in the Redland agricultural area, owner Erik Tieting has been cultivating thousands of trees since 2012.
—
Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
In that case, try to knock the population down by lightly cultivating the soil a couple inches deep around the plants.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
But there are indeed upsides to living in New England during deep winter, one being the chance to amp up the hygge — the Danish term (pronounced hue-gah) for their concept of cultivating coziness.
—Gretta Monahan, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
After 37 years of coaching, Reiser had reached the top – cultivating a group of five senior starters into a team that was able to beat powerhouses like Windsor, East Catholic and Northwest Catholic – and then New London, 77-74, in the Division II championship game at Mohegan Sun last March.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2026
The journey to cultivating blueberry bushes begins long before the first fruits appear.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 26 Feb. 2026
This week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is bent on cultivating a warrior ethos within the military, threatened to use the byzantine powers of the Pentagon bureaucracy to remove Anthropic’s limits on its own technology.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
To Addie Tsai, 46, solo outings are a way of cultivating a relationship with oneself.
—Rainesford Stauffer, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
Axel is among several high-profile scientists to have been connected to Epstein, who was known for cultivating close connections with academics and science media, including Scientific American.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 25 Feb. 2026
Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
In that case, try to knock the population down by lightly cultivating the soil a couple inches deep around the plants.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
But there are indeed upsides to living in New England during deep winter, one being the chance to amp up the hygge — the Danish term (pronounced hue-gah) for their concept of cultivating coziness.
—Gretta Monahan, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
After 37 years of coaching, Reiser had reached the top – cultivating a group of five senior starters into a team that was able to beat powerhouses like Windsor, East Catholic and Northwest Catholic – and then New London, 77-74, in the Division II championship game at Mohegan Sun last March.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2026
The journey to cultivating blueberry bushes begins long before the first fruits appear.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 26 Feb. 2026
This week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is bent on cultivating a warrior ethos within the military, threatened to use the byzantine powers of the Pentagon bureaucracy to remove Anthropic’s limits on its own technology.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
To Addie Tsai, 46, solo outings are a way of cultivating a relationship with oneself.
—Rainesford Stauffer, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
Axel is among several high-profile scientists to have been connected to Epstein, who was known for cultivating close connections with academics and science media, including Scientific American.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cultivating
Verb
-
Streaming will come together for a keynote roundtable to share their strategies developing compelling campaigns for new films and TV series.—
William Earl,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Along with the likes of the BBC, Channel 4 and Netflix, the charity has spent the past year developing the principles, which were revealed at an event at Channel 4’s Horseferry Road HQ.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Iran’s strikes on Gulf cities are a blow to the region’s goal of promoting itself as a financial center that can be a haven of stability.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The group further elucidated that the program should chiefly prioritize reuse and repair, with retail and community-based organizations responsible for promoting and providing visibility for repair services.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Andrew Kolvet, who has been hosting Kirk’s show since his death, wrote in a post on X that there was growing urgency in Washington, including among anti-war voices, over reports that Iran may have been pursuing dirty bombs and seeking hypersonic weapons from China.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
-
It's consistently ranked one of the fastest growing cities in the country and crane—industrial, that is—might as well be the unofficial city bird.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While significant advancements have been made in harvesting this power, existing technologies do not capture the full potential of the entire solar spectrum.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Feb. 2026
-
No matter your interests, there’s something for you in this gem of a mountain town—from embarking on half-day hikes and tastings at local wineries to riding the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway and harvesting fresh fruit at the largest apple orchard in the Southeast.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Netflix also wasn’t acquiring WBD’s linear cable business with its bid.—
Alex Sherman,Lillian Rizzo,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Trump apparently believes that Iran is intent on acquiring a nuclear weapon, despite Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s declarations to the contrary and a US intelligence community assessment last year.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The bill contains provisions encouraging local and state governments to build more housing.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Mar. 2026
-
There is a lot of change happening on the home front, encouraging you to remodel parts of your dwelling.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Carrick ignored it, deciding not to change a formula up front that has ended up producing five wins and a draw from his first six matches back in the dugout.—
Ian Irving,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Even if some kilns had continued producing ceramics, the Yuan Dynasty fell in 1368 and the first Ming emperor banned commercial trade around 1371, so even conservative estimates for dating the shipwreck still fall between the late 1320s and 1371, according to the study.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The family started farming peaches in the 1970s, after Johl’s father, Gurbax Johl, immigrated from the Punjab region of India and saved enough to buy land.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Fed up with the clip farming all over your FYP?—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cultivating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cultivating. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
