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culture

[ kuhl-cher ]

/ ˈkʌl tʃər /

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See synonyms for: culture / cultured / cultures on Thesaurus.com

noun

the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.

that which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.

a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: Greek culture.

development or improvement of the mind by education or training.

the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular group of people, as a social, ethnic, professional, or age group (usually used in combination): the youth culture; the drug culture.

the shared beliefs, behaviors, or social environment connected with a particular aspect of society: the rape culture on campus; the culture of poverty; a culture of celebrity worship.

the values, typical practices, and goals of a business or other organization, especially a large corporation: Their corporate culture frowns on avoiding risk.

Anthropology. the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.

Biology.

the cultivation of microorganisms, as bacteria, or of tissues, for scientific study, medicinal use, etc.
the product or growth resulting from such cultivation.

the act or practice of cultivating the soil; tillage.

the raising of plants or animals, especially with a view to their improvement.

the product or growth resulting from such cultivation.

verb (used with object), cul·tured, cul·tur·ing.

to subject to culture; cultivate.

Biology.

to grow (microorganisms, tissues, etc.) in or on a controlled or defined medium.
to introduce (living material) into a culture medium.

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QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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Origin of culture

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: “tilling, place tilled,” from Anglo-French, Middle French, from Latin cultūra “cultivation, agriculture, tillage, care.” See cult, -ure

synonym study for culture

4. See education.

OTHER WORDS FROM culture

an·ti·cul·ture, nounin·ter·cul·ture, adjectivein·ter·cul·ture, nounmul·ti·cul·ture, noun

non·cul·ture, nounpre·cul·ture, nounsu·per·cul·ture, noun

Words nearby culture

Cultural Revolution, Cultural Revolution, Great Proletarian, cultural sociology, cultural universal, culturati, culture, culture area, culture center, culture clash, culture complex, cultured

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT CULTURE

What does culture mean?

Culture is a collection of behaviors and beliefs associated with a particular group, as in Ming adores Mexican culture, especially Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

Culture is also the quality of a person or group of people that comes from appreciating excellence in the arts, fashion, manners, and other characteristics of a society, as in A person of culture, Damon frequently attends the symphony and theater.

To culture someone is to expose them to culture, particularly to one that is not their own.

In biology and agriculture, a culture is a specific, enclosed group of organisms, such as a cell culture or a group of plants or animals that are separated from the rest.

Related to this sense, to culture means to grow such a group of organisms.

Example: The culture at my office is one of respect and interest in each others’ projects.

Where does culture come from?

The first records of the term culture come from the early 1400s. It ultimately comes from the Latin cultūra, meaning “cultivation, agriculture, tillage, care.”

Because culture often directly connects to a certain type of art or experience, it will often be paired with a word that describes it, such as Greek culture or punk culture. Culture is often a way that ethnicities, religions, races, and a variety of social and personal factors are lumped together to describe someone’s background.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to culture?

cultural (adjective)
culturist (noun)
interculture (adjective, noun)
cultured (adjective)

What are some synonyms for culture?

What are some words that share a root or word element with culture?

What are some words that often get used in discussing culture?

How is culture used in real life?

Culture is a common word that most often refers to behaviors and beliefs associated with a particular group.

Oh it’s good to be back in Tokyo . I love this place so much . The people, the food , the culture !!!!! 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) June 14, 2018

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop! They BIG MAD 😡 and Scared 😱. Nothing will stop this movement and culture over here. Sorry! Not sorry. 😁✌🏾

— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 6, 2019

Chelsea. NYC. The birthplace of The Velvet Underground. The birthplace of anti-hippie punk culture.

— Mainland (@mainland) May 3, 2016

Try using culture!

Is culture used correctly in the following sentence?

Scientists who study cell cultures spend a lot of time using powerful microscopes.

How to use culture in a sentence

Plenty of cultures have their own version of rice cakes, but we can partially thank a botanist named Alexander Pierce Anderson for laying the groundwork for the American rice cake as we know it.
The Rise and Fall of the Rice Cake, America’s One-Time Favorite Health Snack|Brenna Houck|September 17, 2020|Eater
We have a problem with poverty and resources in communities that happen to include a culture of gangs.
While We’re Rethinking Policing, It’s Time to End Gang Injunctions|Jamie Wilson|September 15, 2020|Voice of San Diego
While many brands understandably use a variety of global and local ambassadors, dismissively trading out one’s culture this way is not something I can condone.
John Boyega steps down from Jo Malone perfume ambassador role after being replaced in Chinese ad|radmarya|September 15, 2020|Fortune
They are distanced from the food and water sources they depend on, and they are part of a culture that sees every problem as capable of being solved by money.
Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration|by Abrahm Lustgarten, photography by Meridith Kohut|September 15, 2020|ProPublica

Fitzgibbons said that drop culture works because people like to buy into the perceived exclusivity and being able to boast that they were one of the few people able to purchase that item.
‘Our goal is to become a massive marketplace’: NTWRK is bringing livestream commerce to a younger generation|Kayleigh Barber|September 14, 2020|Digiday
Charlie ridiculed my faith and culture and I died defending his right to do so.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I don't know why or who's doing it, but it's the legacy…and it's a legacy that is so important to the culture.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A lot of the culture around movies in the sci-fi/fantasy genre is about deconstructing them ad nauseam.
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Whether he gets his full due in popular culture remains to be seen.
Ed Brooke: The Senate's Civil Rights Pioneer and Prophet of a Post-Racial America|John Avlon|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If the oft-talked-about college “hook-up culture” could be embodied by a place, it would be Shooters.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating|Ellie Schaack|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In Cuba its culture commenced in 1580, and from this and the other islands large quantities were shipped to Europe.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The culture of expression is a very different thing from the artful imitation of the signs of feeling and purpose.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Yet a child coming under the humanising influences of culture soon gets far away from the level of the savage.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Its culture however was looked upon with the same disapproval by Charles II.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
It would be a modest guess that Accadian culture implied a growth of at least ten thousand years.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford

British Dictionary definitions for culture

culture

/ (ˈkʌltʃə) /

noun

the total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge, which constitute the shared bases of social action

the total range of activities and ideas of a group of people with shared traditions, which are transmitted and reinforced by members of the groupthe Mayan culture

a particular civilization at a particular period

the artistic and social pursuits, expression, and tastes valued by a society or class, as in the arts, manners, dress, etc

the enlightenment or refinement resulting from these pursuits

the attitudes, feelings, values, and behaviour that characterize and inform society as a whole or any social group within ityob culture

the cultivation of plants, esp by scientific methods designed to improve stock or to produce new ones

stockbreeding the rearing and breeding of animals, esp with a view to improving the strain

the act or practice of tilling or cultivating the soil

biology

the experimental growth of microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, in a nutrient substance (culture medium), usually under controlled conditionsSee also culture medium
a group of microorganisms grown in this way

verb (tr)

to cultivate (plants or animals)

to grow (microorganisms) in a culture medium

Derived forms of culture

culturist, nouncultureless, adjective

Word Origin for culture

C15: from Old French, from Latin cultūra a cultivating, from colere to till; see cult

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for culture

culture

[ kŭl′chər ]

Noun

A growth of microorganisms, viruses, or tissue cells in a specially prepared nutrient medium under supervised conditions.

The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. Culture is learned and shared within social groups and is transmitted by nongenetic means.

Verb

To grow microorganisms, viruses, or tissue cells in a nutrient medium.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for culture

culture

The sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. Culture is transmitted, through language, material objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next.

notes for culture

Anthropologists consider that the requirements for culture (language use, tool making, and conscious regulation of sex) are essential features that distinguish humans from other animals.

notes for culture

Culture also refers to refined music, art, and literature; one who is well versed in these subjects is considered “cultured.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.