cultural capital

American  

[kuhl-cher-uhl kap-i-tl] / ˈkʌl tʃər əl ˈkæp ɪ tl /

noun

1. Sociology. the skills, education, norms, and behaviors acquired by members of a social group that can give them economic and other advantages.

   The accumulation of cultural capital is one route to upward mobility.

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Etymology

Origin of cultural capital

First recorded in 1975–80

Compare meaning

How does cultural-capital compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• social capital vs. cultural capital

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cultural capital

The restrictions have transformed the face of Herat, once known as Afghanistan's cultural capital where female university students outnumbered men before the Taliban government returned.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

In a clever piece of installation design, shelves built around the screen bring the painting’s illusions to life, displaying real bronzes, porcelains, texts and scholarly objects from Lee’s collection—modern curation fulfilling classical cultural capital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Justine Simons, deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries, said London was a "global cultural capital".

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

“He knows L.A. — knows that it’s home to both a super, super diverse and beautiful immigrant community, but also home to tons of media, cultural capital, financial capital,” Rosmarin said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025

The Exposition Universelle in 1878 is a celebration of Paris’s reemergence as a cultural capital after a time preoccupied with war and recovery.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman