cultivation
Americannoun
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agriculture
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the planting, tending, improving, or harvesting of crops or plants
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the preparation of ground to promote their growth
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development, esp through education, training, etc
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culture or sophistication, esp social refinement
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
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.
Ma moved into dragon fruit in 2020, as an alternative to coffee and pepper cultivation.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
However, other than Revueltas’ fictional account, the story of the laborers, their movement’s successes and the astonishing cultivation of the desert lands had been lost to history — until now.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 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
For example, millet cultivation, bronze technology, and writing arose in North China, while rice cultivation and cast-iron technology emerged in South China.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
