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cultured

[kuhl-cherd]
adjective
  1. enlightened; refined.
  2. artificially nurtured or grown: cultured bacteria.
  3. cultivated; tilled.
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Origin of cultured

First recorded in 1735–45; culture + -ed2
Related formsnon·cul·tured, adjectiveo·ver·cul·tured, adjectivesem·i·cul·tured, adjectivewell-cul·tured, adjective
Can be confusedcultivated cultured

Synonyms

1. polished, sophisticated, elegant, genteel.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for well-cultured

Historical Examples

  • A healthy breathing apparatus is as indispensable to the successful lawyer or politician as a well-cultured intellect.

    Self-Help

    Samuel Smiles

British Dictionary definitions for well-cultured

cultured

adjective
  1. showing or having good taste, manners, upbringing, and education
  2. artificially grown or synthesizedcultured pearls
  3. sport of superior quality, as though the product of special traininga cultured left foot; a cultured backhand
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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

Word Origin and History for well-cultured

cultured

adj.

1743 in the literal sense of "cultivated," of land, etc., past participle adjective from culture; meaning "developed under controlled natural conditions" is from 1906, originally of pearls. Meaning "improved by exposure to intellectual culture" is from 1777.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper