cultured

/'kʌltʃə/
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Thân thiện
cultured

A cultured gentleman enjoys a classical music concert.

Definition
  1. Adjective:
    • Having or showing refined taste, manners, and education: Describes a person, group, or thing that exhibits the qualities associated with advanced intellectual and aesthetic development, often acquired through education and exposure to the arts and humanities.
    • Produced under artificial conditions, as in biology: Used in scientific contexts to describe cells, tissues, or microorganisms grown in a prepared nutrient medium.
Usage and Examples
  • As an adjective describing a person or group:
    • She is a cultured individual who enjoys opera and fine art.
    • The event was attended by a cultured audience who appreciated the classical music.
  • As an adjective in a scientific context:
    • The researchers studied the cultured bacteria in the lab.
    • This experiment requires cultured cells from the original sample.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
  • "Cultured" vs. "Educated": While both imply learning, "cultured" specifically emphasizes refinement, aesthetic appreciation, and sophisticated manners, often in social contexts. An educated person has knowledge; a cultured person has taste and polish derived from that knowledge.
  • Implied social class: Historically, the term can carry connotations of wealth and leisure, suggesting the time and resources needed to acquire cultural refinement.
  • In a critical context: Can sometimes be used to imply elitism or snobbery.
    • He dismissed their preferences as unsophisticated, revealing his own cultured disdain.
Variants and Related Words
  • Culture (n): The arts, customs, and intellectual achievements of a particular society or group. Also, the process of growing microorganisms.
  • Cultured pearl (n): A pearl created by inserting a nucleus into an oyster, as opposed to one formed naturally.
  • Uncultured (adj): Lacking in cultural refinement.
Synonyms
  • Refined
  • Cultivated
  • Sophisticated
  • Polished
  • Genteel (can be old-fashioned)
  • Civilized
Antonyms
  • Uncultured
  • Unrefined
  • Crude
  • Philistine (showing a dislike for or ignorance of cultural values)
  • Unsophisticated
Idioms and Common Phrases
  • Cultured palate: A refined sense of taste, especially for food and drink.
    • His cultured palate could distinguish the subtlest flavors in the wine.
  • The cultured elite: A term, sometimes used critically, to describe a social group perceived as possessing exclusive cultural knowledge and tastes.
cultured

A cultured gentleman enjoys a classical music concert.

Adjective
  1. marked by refinement in taste and manners
    • cultivated speech
    • cultured Bostonians
    • cultured tastes
    • a genteel old lady
    • polite society