cultivation

American  

[kuhl-tuh-vey-shuhn] / ˌkʌl təˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

• cultivations
  plural

1. the act or art of cultivating.

2. the state of being cultivated.

3. culture; refinement.

   Synonyms:

   taste, breeding, gentility

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cultivation British  

/ ˌkʌltɪˈveɪʃən /

noun

1. agriculture

   1. the planting, tending, improving, or harvesting of crops or plants

   2. the preparation of ground to promote their growth

2. development, esp through education, training, etc

3. culture or sophistication, esp social refinement

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Usage

What does cultivation mean? Cultivation is the act of growing something or improving its growth, especially crops. Cultivation can also be used in a more figurative way to refer to the same kind of process, except that the thing being grown or improved is often an abstract thing, such as a business or a friendship. Cultivation is a noun form of the verb cultivate. The literal sense of cultivation is most often used in the context of agriculture, but it can also refer to things being grown in a laboratory. Its figurative sense can apply to the development of many different things, such as relationships, skills, and even cultures. Example: The rich soil in this region is ideal for the cultivation of a variety of crops.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncultivation
  noun
• overcultivation
  noun
• precultivation
  noun
• recultivation
  noun
• self-cultivation
  noun
• uncultivation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cultivations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cultivation

First recorded in 1690–1700; cultivate + -ion

Explanation

Cultivation is the act of caring for or raising plants. Your desire to grow your own fruits and vegetables in the backyard means you'll be engaged in some heavy cultivation. The word cultivation is most often used to talk about the ways that farmers take care of crops. However, in a more general sense, the verb cultivate means to improve or train someone or something. You could participate in the cultivation of your little brother by paying for him to take tango lessons and teaching him how to play chess. Or perhaps you might start by simply teaching him how to sip and not slurp his soup.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cultivation cultivations

That difference supported the idea that potato cultivation played an important role, but the researchers had to rule out another major event in Indigenous American history.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

Key to both the cultivation of this ethos and Wawa’s growth, Wood believed, was the fact that the company was privately held.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Thanks to cultivation techniques, the Huntington coaxes the plants to bloom every two to three years, not four to six like they do in their natural habitat, where they’re endangered.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Food labeled as organic in the state of California has to be registered with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and conform to principles of cultivation.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026

She took up a hoe instead, and began to put every square inch of her sandy two-acre rented lot under cultivation: peanuts, sweet potatoes, and four dozen kinds of flowers.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

The new program will attempt to prosecute underlying labor crimes, environmental crimes and the underground economy centered around the illicit cultivations, said Attorney General Rob Bonta.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2022

A document that month said that Mr. Seddon’s operatives had “identified three potential sources in the new governor’s administration and have begun accelerated cultivations with a view to early recruitment.”

From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2022

Rowe said she and other officials want to fund an eradication campaign that “will come down so hard and so often on these cultivations that they won’t be able to survive.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2021

The new cultivations are challenging long-held beliefs in some conservative communities, including this one, where a rural libertarian streak is confronting a crop still stigmatized despite its legality.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 14, 2018

At the end of this time the non-sporing bacteria are dead, and cultivations made from the mixture will yield a growth resulting from the germination of the spores only.

From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by J. W. H. (John William Henry) Eyre

Related Words

• farming
• gardening
• horticulture
• planting