Definition

1. Verb:
   • To assimilate culturally: To undergo or cause to undergo the process of cultural change and adaptation that occurs when individuals or groups from different cultures come into continuous firsthand contact.

Usage

• The verb "acculturate" describes the process of adopting or adjusting to the cultural traits or social patterns of another group. It is often used in sociological and anthropological contexts.
• It is typically used intransitively (e.g., ) or transitively in passive constructions (e.g., ).
• It implies a dynamic, often lengthy process of change, not a single event.

Examples

• Verb:
  • The study examines how new immigrants acculturate to life in their host country.
  • Children often acculturate more quickly than their parents, adopting new language and customs.
  • The indigenous community was acculturated through prolonged contact with settlers.

Advanced Usage

• "Acculturative stress": The psychological, somatic, and social difficulties that may accompany the process of acculturation.
  • Counselors are trained to help migrants cope with acculturative stress.
• "Acculturative process": The specific series of changes involved in cultural adaptation.
  • The acculturative process involves both the loss of original cultural markers and the gain of new ones.

Variants and Related Words

• Acculturation (n): The process or result of acculturating; cultural modification.
  • Acculturation can lead to a rich, blended identity.
• Acculturative (adj): Relating to or causing acculturation.
  • The policy had significant acculturative effects on the population.

Synonyms

• Assimilate: To absorb and integrate into a wider culture or society. (Note: "Assimilate" can imply a more complete absorption, while "acculturate" often describes the ongoing process.)
• Adapt: To adjust to new conditions, which can include cultural ones.
• Integrate: To combine into a whole, often used in social and cultural contexts.

Antonyms

• Segregate: To set apart from the rest or from each other.
• Isolate: To cause to be alone or apart from others, preventing cultural exchange.

Related Phrases

• "Become acculturated to": To complete or undergo the process of acculturation regarding a specific culture.
  • It took years for him to become fully acculturated to the local norms.
• "Acculturate into": To adapt and become part of a new cultural group.
  • The program aims to help refugees acculturate into their new community.

Verb

1. assimilate culturally