cultural history

American  

[kuhl-cher-uhl his-tree, his-tuh-ree] / ˈkʌl tʃər əl ˈhɪs tri, ˈhɪs tə ri /

noun

cultural histories plural

1. a study or account of a society's past that focuses on aspects of culture, such as the development of ideas, the arts, religion, lifestyle, etc., rather than primarily political events.

2. a study or account of a particular period in the past that compares and contrasts major cultures active at the time in terms of their rise and fall and the forces at work, including contact with each other and mutual influence.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cultural historian
  noun
• cultural-historical
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cultural histories
  plural

Example Sentences

The indoor childhood isn’t a natural cultural shift; it is in part a policy choice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

“It’s a great thing that we’re seeing this interest and cultural shift into wearables,” said Mintu Turakhia, a cardiac electrophysiologist who co-led that study.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

Others see the sea change as less a legal tsunami than a tidal cultural shift — one jurors in New Mexico and California are riding, not speaking into existence.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

She called for a "cultural shift" and conversation about the fact the parks groups were even more relied upon after cuts to the city council's budgets.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

Where a cultural shift has been so great as this one you are certain to see evidence of both levels in conflict with one another.

From Cubs of the Wolf by Jones, Raymond F.