culinary
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of culinary
1630–40; < Latin culīnārius of the kitchen, equivalent to culīn ( a ) kitchen, food + -ārius -ary
Explanation
Culinary means having to do with cooking or the kitchen. If you go to culinary school, you're learning how to cook, most likely because you want to work as a chef. If you have a culinary streak, you might love cooking for your friends or maybe just watching cooking shows on TV. If your culinary repertoire includes nothing beyond tuna sandwiches and mac-and-cheese out of the box, you have a lot to learn, culinarily speaking!
Vocabulary lists containing culinary
Eat Your Words
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The First Rule of Punk
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With the Fire on High
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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.
Chipotle boss Scott Boatwright said: "We are entering Mexico with deep respect for the country's culinary heritage and a commitment to delivering the Chipotle experience with excellence."
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
What follows is not simply a list of grilling gear and impressive ingredients, but a tried and tested culinary adventure for all the parties, menus and moments you want to create.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
AmaWaterways just introduced a new culinary experience, Cooking with Mamie, for its voyages on the Seine River in France.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
An advisor with the culinary program, Amy Quazza, thinks "we kind of drift back to tradition when things are untethered or feeling untethered," which explains the renewed appeal of old-economy trades.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Our food arrived, and I inspected my Soyrizo for signs of cilantro, my culinary archnemesis, just in case.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
