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cross-cultural

American  
[kraws-kuhl-cher-uhl, kros-] / ˈkrɔsˈkʌl tʃər əl, ˈkrɒs- /

adjective

  1. combining, pertaining to, or contrasting two or more cultures or cultural groups.

    cross-cultural studies; cross-cultural communication.


cross-cultural British  

adjective

  1. involving or bridging the differences between cultures

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • cross-culturally adverb

Etymology

Origin of cross-cultural

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While essentially a disaster film, the visually alarming and nerve-racking “Fukushima” is also a cross-cultural psychodrama, about an industry, and perhaps a society, having a meltdown all its own.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

His fling with Pearl in the present might be a cross-cultural meet-cute.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Suggested tools include qualitative observations, digital tracking, diary studies, and cross-cultural research.

From Science Daily • Jan. 5, 2026

The idea isn't new: Bollywood has long explored north-south cultural clashes through romcoms, and in a multilingual country, well-executed cross-cultural romances can be a hit.

From BBC • Sep. 5, 2025

Science is thus a cross-cultural language which any culture can in principle learn to speak, and which any technologically sophisticated culture will already have learnt to speak.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton