cultural
Americanadjective
adjective
-
of or relating to artistic or social pursuits or events considered to be valuable or enlightened
-
of or relating to a culture or civilization
-
(of certain varieties of plant) obtained by specialized breeding
Other Word Forms
- anticultural adjective
- anticulturally adverb
- culturally adverb
- de-cultural adjective
- noncultural adjective
- nonculturally adverb
- precultural adjective
- preculturally adverb
- pseudocultural adjective
- pseudoculturally adverb
- transcultural adjective
- transculturally adverb
Etymology
Origin of cultural
Explanation
The adjective cultural comes from the noun "culture" but has several, subtly different meanings, depending on context. The chief meaning is anything having to do human intellectual or creative output. The word cultural is often used as a synonym for "ethnic," as in, "cultural diversity," which means a variety of people. But it also means having to do with the arts and creativity. When you move, you'll want to move somewhere with a vibrant cultural life—lots of museums, libraries, and concert halls. In the middle is a term like "cultural anthropology," which is the study of a population's work, arts, lifestyles, and ways of interacting.
Vocabulary lists containing cultural
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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.
Rossen Ventzislavov is a philosopher and cultural critic from Bulgaria who lives in Los Angeles and teaches at Woodbury University.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
In a post on X, he said her "extraordinary musical journey" enriched the nation's cultural heritage and touched "countless hearts across the world".
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
Politicians, from the early 20th century dictator Porfirio Díaz to the highly popular previous President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, have long shared cultural space with entertainers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
During this time, Neanderthal groups in Northern Europe displayed a wide range of cultural behaviors, and early Homo sapiens were beginning to appear in nearby regions.
From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026
The Renaissance is a cultural and scientific reawakening, a time of great possibility and intensity.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
