cultured

[kuhl-cherd]

adjective

enlightened; refined.

artificially nurtured or grown: cultured bacteria.

cultivated; tilled.

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 for cultured

1. polished, sophisticated, elegant, genteel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for well-cultured

Historical Examples of well-cultured

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

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

artificially grown or synthesizedcultured pearls

sport of superior quality, as though the product of special traininga cultured left foot; a cultured backhand

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.