For most people, each time they come across the word “cultivate,” they immediately think of “growing or taking care of a plant or crop.” While this is true, they might have failed to realize that there is more to the word “cultivate.” Read on to learn more about “cultivate definition” and how to use the word in your sentence.
The definition of “cultivate” is “to promote the growth of a biological creature.” According to this definition, you will realize that the word “cultivate” is not limited to plants. It is also possible to cultivate animals or any other living creature. Use the word to show some spontaneous growth.
It is hardly possible for people to think about “cultivate” when dealing with animals, birds, or aquarium creatures. However, if you do any activity that helps grow any living creature, then “cultivate” is among the best words to use. Let’s expound more about this word in this article.
What Is the Definition of Cultivate?
The definition of “cultivate” can also be “to encourage or to foster.” According to this definition, foster means gradually. So, use this word when talking about someone who has developed a certain taste over a certain period.
In most cases, when someone changes the behavior or attitude towards something, the action is “to cultivate.” Some people work hard to develop an attitude, image, or skill to make it stronger and better. In such a case, they are trying to “cultivate” it.
Example sentences:
- Foster parents need to cultivate a positive mental attitude towards the child they are raising so that they do not get tired of it.
- Each student needs to cultivate a connection between their study partners to work together for academic excellence.
- Married couples need to cultivate respect for each other if they want their relationship to last.
Words Related to Cultivate
When learning new words, make sure you also know the various word forms. You should always use the right form when writing or talking about a word in different contexts. Here is a look at the various word forms of “cultivate.”
Cultivation (noun): The meaning of cultivation is the act or art of cultivating.
Example sentences:
- Susan is a lady of charm and cultivation.
- The cultivation of the field has gone on for months, yet there is no sign of success.
- The best part about these flowers is that they only need cultivation when small and thrive independently.
Synonyms and Antonyms of the Word Cultivate
Are you usually concerned about the synonyms and antonyms of the word you usually come across? Knowing these words is one of the best ways to ensure that you have sufficient vocabulary to express yourself. Let’s start with synonyms and then look at the antonyms later.
- Farm: An area of land where people grow crops.
- Work: Task of tasks to be undertaken.
- Tend: To grow or move in a particular direction.
- Plant: Put a seed on the ground so that it grows.
- Learning: Knowledge acquired by learning or experience that needs teaching.
- Education: An enlightenment experience.
- Support: Something that bears the weight of something.
- Encouragement: The action of giving someone support and hope.
- Gardening: The activity of cultivating a garden.
- Titling: The name you give something.
Antonyms
- Abandon: To cease to support or to look after.
- Desert: Abandon a person, cause, or organization.
- Forsake: To abandon or leave.
- Cast: The act of throwing something forcefully.
- Discard: Get rid of something no longer desirable.
- Ditch: Get rid of something or give up.
- Shed: To cast off some natural covering.
- Scrap: To remove something from service.
- Junk: To discard or abandon unceremoniously.
- Slough: To cast off.
What Is the Meaning of Cultivate?
“Cultivate” also means to try hard to develop a friendship with someone. There are times that you might meet with someone and you instantly connect or click. However, to develop a friendship, you will need to work towards it or “cultivate” it.
Finding people that have a common interest with you is not easy. First, you must take the time to ensure you have worked on it. Like tending crops or working on a project, you will also be required to “cultivate” the friendship.
Example sentences:
- Mary took the time to cultivate her friendship with Jane, and their bond has never broken.
- The Prime minister has to cultivate friendship with at least five influential ministers.
How to Use Cultivate In A Sentence?
The one vital thing you need to understand is that “cultivate” is a verb. So when using this word in a sentence, use it as a verb or a noun when it is in its word form “cultivation.” In addition, the word “cultivate” also takes the nature of the sentence you write.
Is Cultivate a Negative Word?
Ever thought about the nature of a word before using it? Well, that’s among the best ways to know how to use a particular word in your sentences. When learning about words, note that they can be positive, negative, or neutral. The word “cultivate” is neutral. “Cultivate” is neither positive nor negative. Also, know that the nature of this word depends on how you use it in your sentences.
Example sentences:
- Positive: He might be a leader one day, so it is our responsibility to cultivate him.
- Negative: He became a criminal because his father did not cultivate good behavior in him.
One more thing: Here’s a list of words that rhyme with “cultivate.”
- Activate
- Straight
- Suffocate
- Fluctuate
- Graduate
- Demonstrate
- Dedicate
- Renovate
- Contemplate
- Salivate
10 Examples of Cultivate in a Sentence
You can learn more about the word “cultivate” and how to use it in your sentences through sentences that embrace this word. Reading the sentences gives you an idea of how to use the word in your sentence. It will also help you to understand the word better. With that in mind, here is a look at the different sentences with the word “cultivate.”
- It is important to cultivate the crops to thrive despite the threatening weather.
- The farmer got disappointed since, despite taking time to cultivate the land, the plants got attacked by diseases and withered.
- It is time for you to cultivate friends; otherwise, you will live as a loner, which won’t help you much.
- How do you cultivate love from someone who dislikes you? It needs a lot of hard work.
- The new student wanted to cultivate friendship; within a week, he had made many friends in and out of school.
- My father loves art, but I do not; that is why he tries to cultivate my love for art.
- Parents need to cultivate good manners in their children from childhood if they intend to have productive and mannered families.
- She has tried to cultivate a friendly relationship in the office, and so far, it seems to be working.
- Many people in our village mainly cultivate rice and cassava across the seasons.
- If you want to be a good leader, then you should cultivate the habit of listening to what people are saying to you.
How Do You Spell Cultivate?
The spelling of the word cultivate” is/ ˈkʌltɪveɪt/ or C.U.L.T.I.V.A.T.E
It does not make sense to learn the meaning and definition of a word without taking the time to learn the correct spelling. A common mistake that people make when writing the word “cultivate” is using “vet” as the prefix instead of “vate.” You can always avoid these embarrassing errors.
How Do You Pronounce Cultivate?
The pronunciation of the word “cultivate” is “kuhl·tuh·vayt.”
The best way to express yourself in English is to know the proper ways to pronounce a word. That way, you will feel confident when conversing with those around you.
How Many Syllables Are in Cultivate?
The word “cultivate” has three syllables. They are divided as cul.ti.vate. The stressed syllable of the word is cul.
Learning the number of syllables in a word helps you better understand the recording process. Syllables help in dividing the words into chunks which also helps you to read words more accurately and fluently. In addition, when you learn the syllables of a word, it becomes easy to spell the word correctly.
History & Etymology of Cultivate
The origin of the word “cultivate” is Latin. The word comes from the Latin word “cultival.” The ancient word meaning has always been “to prepare crops.” The word was then introduced to the English language as “cultivate.” It retained the original meaning. However, more changes have come up, but the original meaning still stands in various definitions embraced today.
When Was Cultivate First Used?
The first known use of the word “cultivate” was in 1588.
Conclusion
The article has discussed all the things you need to know about the word “cultivate.” If you’ve followed everything closely, you can confidently start using the word without hesitation. But before that, take the time to understand the best “cultivate definition” and various meanings. To ensure you have understood the word, create various sentences to show your prowess.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.