cultivation

American  

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

noun

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

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

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

Ma moved into dragon fruit in 2020, as an alternative to coffee and pepper cultivation.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

As a result, the leftover flour is free from processing contaminants, aside from residues already present from agricultural sunflower cultivation.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

He discovered hydroponics, an innovative cultivation technique where vegetables are grown not in soil, but in a solution of water enriched with essential nutrients.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Parla says that, to an extent, the city of Gorizia has built their economy around the Rosa di Gorizia; a crisp and delicately bitter radicchio variety known for its rose-like appearance and intense cultivation process.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

My other example of how ancient peoples apparently used their ethnobiological knowledge to good effect comes from the Jordan Valley in the ninth millennium B.C., the period of the earliest crop cultivation there.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• farming
• gardening
• horticulture
• planting