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

See Examples For:

cultural capital

Manchester has become a kind of cultural capital of cool in recent decades, home to global musical acts like Oasis and the Stone Roses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The restrictions have transformed the face of Herat, once known as Afghanistan's cultural capital where female university students outnumbered men before the Taliban government returned.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

Now it's become a "cultural capital of the world" and a "really progressive" place, he says, with a prominent gay community.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026

“He knows L.A. — knows that it’s home to both a super, super diverse and beautiful immigrant community, but also home to tons of media, cultural capital, financial capital,” Rosmarin said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025

They say he intends to remake the Austrian town of Linz into an empyrean city, the cultural capital of the world.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr