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

“They have done a great job building cultural capital and financial relationships at the league level across these leagues,” said a former NFL team executive who was granted anonymity to discuss the club-level dealings with Fanatics.

From Los Angeles Times

Museum attendance in Moscow, which competes with Saint Petersburg as Russia's cultural capital, jumped 30 percent in 2025, according to deputy mayor Natalya Sergunina.

From Barron's

“Well, I was supposed to be in America at this very moment, in the cultural capital of Cleveland. But I skipped my ship, you see, so now I’m here. And with the Germans at our door, we do need to build our own circles of friendship to get through all of this, don’t we, Marion? I’ll introduce you to my new friend, Colin. He’s quite smart and understands the nature of imperfection.”

From Literature

He says the idea of being able to make these traditional dishes from specific areas has become a point of pride for many young people as they search for a sense of identity as well as cultural capital.

From Salon

Mr Edwards said Burslem had "taken a kicking" over the years but had the potential to become the "cultural capital" of Stoke-on-Trent.

From BBC