cultured

[kuhl-cherd]

adjective

1. having or characterized by culture; refined; enlightened.

   civilized and cultured peoples; music and other cultured pursuits.

   Synonyms: genteel, elegant, sophisticated, polished

2. artificially nurtured or grown.

   cultured bacteria.

3. cultivated; tilled.

cultured

/ ˈkʌltʃəd /

adjective

1. showing or having good taste, manners, upbringing, and education

2. artificially grown or synthesized

   cultured pearls

3. sport of superior quality, as though the product of special training

   a cultured left foot

   a cultured backhand

Other Word Forms

• noncultured adjective
• overcultured adjective
• semicultured adjective
• well-cultured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cultured¹

First recorded in 1550–745; culture + -ed ²

Example Sentences

To explore this idea, the team cultured a large quantity of P. sanguinis for three days and then extracted the full mixture of metabolites produced by the microbe.

Read more on Science Daily

Earlier work in cultured cells suggested that bird flu viruses are more tolerant of fever-level temperatures than human flu viruses.

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He instructed Harnett to select from among Abbe’s own possessions for the still life, and Harnett chose objects that reveal the comfortable, cultured aspects of his client’s life.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In experiments using cultured human cells, the team found that these GSH-DNA adducts build up in mtDNA at levels up to 80 times higher than in nuclear DNA.

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This was confusing to cultured folk at first, but they got used to it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accomplished 
• civilized 
• cultivated 
• educated 
• enlightened 
• erudite 
• genteel 
• intelligent 
• knowledgeable 
• literate 
• polite 
• refined 
• sophisticated 
• tolerant 
• urbane