cultural capital

American  

[kuhl-cher-uhl kap-i-tl] / ˈkʌl tʃər əl ˈkæp ɪ tl /

noun

1. Sociology. the skills, education, norms, and behaviors acquired by members of a social group that can give them economic and other advantages.

   The accumulation of cultural capital is one route to upward mobility.

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Etymology

Origin of cultural capital

First recorded in 1975–80

Compare meaning

How does cultural-capital compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• social capital vs. cultural capital

Example Sentences

A tectonic shift in cultural attitudes toward religion began to unfold, especially among the educated classes, robbing Christianity of the monopoly it once enjoyed.

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2023

Disparate cultural attitudes were manifest not only in his art but in his central role more than 40 years ago in the creation of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2023

“What I see again and again are really cultural attitudes within police departments that … are really the root causes of inappropriate and unconstitutional uses of force like this.”

From Washington Post • Apr. 3, 2023

While women in the Arabian Peninsula nation have long-faced gender inequality due to social and cultural attitudes, Yemeni law has not imposed male guardianship rules, and authorities in the south do not impose them.

From Reuters • Mar. 23, 2023

The new musical style was already well under way by the time Mozart was a young composer, and he grew up in a Europe experiencing a sea change in cultural attitudes.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall