cultured

[kuhl-cherd]

adjective

1. having or characterized by culture; refined; enlightened.

   civilized and cultured peoples; music and other cultured pursuits.

   Synonyms: genteel, elegant, sophisticated, polished

2. artificially nurtured or grown.

   cultured bacteria.

3. cultivated; tilled.

cultured

/ ˈkʌltʃəd /

adjective

1. showing or having good taste, manners, upbringing, and education

2. artificially grown or synthesized

   cultured pearls

3. sport of superior quality, as though the product of special training

   a cultured left foot

   a cultured backhand

Other Word Forms

• noncultured adjective
• overcultured adjective
• semicultured adjective
• well-cultured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cultured¹

First recorded in 1550–745; culture + -ed ²

Example Sentences

This was confusing to cultured folk at first, but they got used to it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As written, the recipe needs nothing more than a generous swipe of cultured butter and a plate of soft scrambled eggs, maybe a rasher of bacon if you’re feeling traditional.

Read more on Salon

Over the course of two years, cultured human nerve cells multiplied and organized themselves into a functioning organoid capable of generating electrical activity.

Read more on Science Daily

For example, Japan’s invention of cultured pearls led to the decline of the UAE’s natural-pearl trading industry in the early 1900s, he notes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Each little sphere is essentially a tiny, lab-grown mini-brain, made out of living stem cells which have been cultured to become clusters of neurons and supporting cells - these are the “organoids”.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• accomplished 
• civilized 
• cultivated 
• educated 
• enlightened 
• erudite 
• genteel 
• intelligent 
• knowledgeable 
• literate 
• polite 
• refined 
• sophisticated 
• tolerant 
• urbane