cultivate
gb/kˈʌltɪvˌeɪt/ us/kˈʌltɪvˌeɪt/
B2
English
~ 7300
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B2
action
1
grow plants or crops with care
to grow plants or crops by working the land and taking care of them
Usage pattern:
to cultivate [crops/plants] (in [a place])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "cultivate" for anything that grows, including people or animals, but this sense is mainly for plants and crops. For example, we say "grow up" for children, not "cultivate children." Also, learners may forget that "cultivate" is usually transitive here: you cultivate something (crops, plants, land), you do not usually just say "The plants cultivate".
Synonyms
grow (more common and general; does not especially suggest careful, planned work like "cultivate" does.)
|
farm (focuses on growing food or raising animals as a job, while "cultivate" focuses on growing specific plants or crops.)
Antonyms
neglect (means to not care for something so it does poorly, the opposite of carefully cultivating it.)
Collocations
cultivate crops
|cultivate rice
|cultivate vegetables
|cultivate grapes
|cultivate the land
|cultivate the soil
Themes
agriculture
|environment
|food
|nature
|food_drink
|work
Examples
- Local farmers cultivate rice on the terraced hillsides.
- She cultivates organic vegetables in her backyard garden.
- This region has been cultivated for vineyards for hundreds of years.
- Only a small part of the island is cultivated; the rest is wild forest.
- They use traditional methods to cultivate coffee beans at high altitudes.
Learner examples
- Farmers cultivate wheat in this field.
- My grandfather cultivates many flowers in his garden.
- In this area, people cultivate rice near the river.
- They cultivate grapes to make wine.
- The land is flat and easy to cultivate.
Verb
C1
action
2
develop a quality or skill
to make a skill, habit, or feeling grow stronger by working on it again and again
Usage pattern:
to cultivate [a skill/quality/habit/attitude]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "make" instead of "cultivate" (e.g., *"make a good habit"*). While correct, it is more natural to say "develop" or "cultivate a good habit." Learners may also confuse "cultivate" with "educate" when talking about the mind; "educate" is about teaching knowledge, while "cultivate" is about slowly developing a quality or ability.
Synonyms
develop (more general and common; does not strongly suggest careful, ongoing effort the way "cultivate" does.)
|
nurture (emphasizes gentle care and support, often emotional, while "cultivate" can sound more planned or goal‑oriented.)
Antonyms
stifle (means to hold back or stop a feeling or ability from growing, the opposite of cultivating it.)
Collocations
cultivate a habit
|cultivate a skill
|cultivate patience
|cultivate a positive attitude
|cultivate a taste for [something]
|cultivate creativity
Themes
personal_development
|education
|psychology
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She made a conscious effort to cultivate patience with her children.
- Reading widely can help you cultivate a more flexible way of thinking.
- He has cultivated the habit of waking up early to exercise.
- The school tries to cultivate a love of learning in its students.
- Over the years, he cultivated a deep interest in classical music.
Learner examples
- I am trying to cultivate a good study habit.
- The teacher wants to cultivate a love of reading in her class.
- You should cultivate a positive attitude at work.
- She cultivates her writing skills every day.
- He is trying to cultivate a taste for healthy food.
Verb
C1
action
3
build relationships or contacts
to work to make a relationship or contact stronger, often because it can help you later
Usage pattern:
to cultivate [a relationship/contact] with [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"grow a relationship"* in formal writing, copying the structure of their own language. While "grow a relationship" is used, in more formal or careful English "build a relationship" or "cultivate a relationship" are preferred. Also, "cultivate" here almost always takes an object: you cultivate a relationship, contacts, or ties.
Synonyms
build (more general and neutral; "build a relationship" does not suggest the same planned or strategic effort as "cultivate".)
|
court (sounds more formal or old‑fashioned and may suggest strong effort to win favor or support.)
Antonyms
alienate (means to make someone feel distant or unfriendly, the opposite of cultivating a relationship with them.)
Collocations
cultivate relationships
|cultivate clients
|cultivate contacts
|cultivate allies
|cultivate a network
|cultivate goodwill
Themes
business
|social
|politics
|relationships
|communication
Examples
- The company has worked hard to cultivate long‑term relationships with its customers.
- He spent years cultivating contacts in the film industry.
- The new ambassador is trying to cultivate closer ties with neighboring countries.
- Nonprofits must cultivate donors if they want steady support.
- She carefully cultivated a network of mentors and professional allies.
Learner examples
- He is trying to cultivate good relationships with his clients.
- Politicians often cultivate strong ties with business leaders.
- You should cultivate friendly contacts at your new job.
- The manager wants to cultivate trust with the team.
- They cultivate close links with local schools.
Verb
C1
action
4
prepare soil for planting crops
to work on the soil, for example by turning or breaking it, so that it is ready to grow crops
Usage pattern:
to cultivate [land/soil/fields]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this sense is exactly the same as "grow plants." Here the focus is on working the land itself, not on the plants. You cultivate the land or soil so that you can later grow crops in it.
Synonyms
till (a more technical farming term focusing specifically on turning and breaking up the soil.)
Antonyms
leave fallow (means to leave land unplanted and unused for a period, the opposite of actively cultivating it.)
Collocations
cultivate the land
|cultivate the soil
|cultivate fields
|intensively cultivated land
|cultivated farmland
|cultivate previously unused land
Themes
agriculture
|environment
|nature
|food_drink
|work
Examples
- They began to cultivate the land along the river for small family farms.
- Only the lower slopes are cultivated; the steep upper slopes remain forested.
- The government encouraged people to cultivate previously unused land.
- Over‑cultivated soil can lose important nutrients and become less productive.
- The valley has been carefully cultivated for generations of farmers.
Learner examples
- The farmers cultivate the soil before they plant seeds.
- In this region, people have cultivated the land for many years.
- This field is not cultivated; it is wild grass.
- They use machines to cultivate large fields.
- The land was dry and hard, so it was difficult to cultivate.
Verb
technical
C2
action
5
grow microorganisms or cells in a lab
to grow bacteria, cells, or tissue in a laboratory using special food and conditions
Usage pattern:
to cultivate [bacteria/cells/tissue] (in [a medium])
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this is a technical, scientific use and try to use it in everyday conversation about germs. In daily speech, people usually say "grow" germs or "grow" cells only in simple explanations; specialists prefer "culture" in this context.
Synonyms
culture (a more technical term that is standard in biology and medicine; often preferred over "cultivate" in scientific writing.)
|
grow (less technical and more general; does not clearly indicate controlled laboratory conditions.)
Antonyms
sterilize (means to kill or remove all microorganisms, the opposite of cultivating them.)
Collocations
cultivate bacteria
|cultivate cells
|cultivate viruses
|cultivate tissue samples
|bacteria were cultivated in a petri dish
|cultivate microbial cultures
Themes
science
|medicine
|health
|technology
Examples
- The lab was able to cultivate the virus from the blood sample.
- Scientists cultivated stem cells to study how the tissue develops.
- Bacteria were cultivated in a nutrient‑rich medium for further testing.
- The researchers successfully cultivated human skin cells in the lab.
- To confirm the diagnosis, they cultivated a sample of the patient's sputum.
Learner examples
- Doctors can cultivate bacteria in a lab to study them.
- Scientists cultivate cells in special dishes.
- The virus was cultivated so they could test new medicine.
- In biology class, we learned how to cultivate bacteria on a plate.
- They cultivated the cells under warm and safe conditions.
Grammar
Dictionary form
cultivate
IPA
GB/kˈʌltɪvˌeɪt/
US/kˈʌltɪvˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
cul - tiv - ate (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (cul)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: cultivate
- 3rd Person Singular: cultivates
- Present Participle: cultivating
- Past: cultivated
Word family
Forms
cultivates
verb
cultivating
verb
cultivated
verb
Core family
cultivation
noun B1
Negative and opposite forms
uncultivated
adjective
Advanced or less common
cultivable
adjective
Expressions
cultivate a relationship
1/kˈʌltɪvˌeɪt ə ɹilˈeɪʃənʃˌɪp/
fixed phrase
work to develop a relationship
to work over time to make a relationship closer or better
Examples
- It's important to cultivate a relationship with your neighbors so you can support each other.
- The company wants to cultivate a relationship with local communities.
- She has carefully cultivated a relationship with her mentor over many years.
cultivate a taste for
1/kˈʌltɪvˌeɪt ə tˈeɪst fɚ/
fixed phrase
learn to like something over time
to slowly begin to like something, usually food, drink, music, or art, by trying it many times
Examples
- I slowly cultivated a taste for black coffee.
- She has cultivated a taste for jazz since moving to New Orleans.
- Many people cultivate a taste for spicy food as they get older.
cultivate an image
1/kˈʌltɪvˌeɪt ən ˈɪmɪd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
carefully create a public image
to act in a planned way so that other people see you or your group in a certain way
Examples
- The politician has tried to cultivate an image of honesty and openness.
- The brand is cultivating an image of being young and innovative.
- He carefully cultivated an image as a tough but fair leader.
cultivate the land
1/kˈʌltɪvˌeɪt ðə lˈænd/
fixed phrase
work land to grow crops
to work on the land, for example by turning the soil, so that you can grow crops there
Examples
- For generations, their family has cultivated the land by the river.
- Early settlers had to clear forests before they could cultivate the land.
- Many people in the village still cultivate the land using simple tools.