cultured
Americanadjective
-
having or characterized by culture; refined; enlightened.
civilized and cultured peoples; music and other cultured pursuits.
- Synonyms:
- genteel, elegant, sophisticated, polished
-
artificially nurtured or grown.
cultured bacteria.
-
cultivated; tilled.
adjective
-
showing or having good taste, manners, upbringing, and education
-
artificially grown or synthesized
cultured pearls
-
sport of superior quality, as though the product of special training
a cultured left foot
a cultured backhand
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cultured
Explanation
A cultured person usually enjoys art, music, expensive restaurants, and other things considered fancy or educated. An old lady sipping tea with one pinkie sticking out, wearing a flowered hat, and listing to Brahms (the classical composer) would be many people's idea of someone cultured. A cultured person is also called refined, genteel, civilized, and cultivated. Cultured people have good manners and etiquette. However, being cultured is in the eye of the beholder, because there are so many different cultures in the world. It's difficult to be cultured in more than one culture.
Vocabulary lists containing cultured
The Secret Life of Bees
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Warriors Don't Cry (Abridged)
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"America"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For much of the opening half they were like a cultured fighter, boxing the ears off an over-matched rival, bamboozling their punchbag with their movement before what felt like an inevitable knockout.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
"They took bees back and growed them in the lab, they cultured all the pollen, the wax, and many, many things."
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
“Stalin created an entirely new concept . . . that cannot be translated into any cultured language: the squabble,” Freidenberg wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
The French brasserie with paper-thin radishes, good cultured butter and a pinch of flaky salt.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
Although we might not listen to it regularly or even at all, we all hold it in very high esteem, and an important part of a highly cultured society.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
