Meaning & use
cultivating
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“cultivating” is a form of “cultivate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Working steadily to develop a skill, habit, friendship or quality and make it stronger over time.
Grammar: Takes an object: cultivating patience; the verb cultivate is regular, with -ing form cultivating.
Patterns
- cultivate something
- cultivate a relationship with someone
She is cultivating a habit of reading for twenty minutes every night.
The manager spent years cultivating trust among the staff.
He is cultivating friendships with people from other countries.
verbtransitive
Preparing land and looking after it so crops can grow, or growing a particular plant.
Grammar: Takes an object: cultivating the soil, cultivating rice.
Patterns
- cultivate land
- cultivate a crop
The family has been cultivating the same hillside for generations.
Farmers in the valley are cultivating rice on terraced fields.
She enjoys cultivating herbs on her balcony.
verbtransitivedisapproving
Deliberately trying to win someone's favor or help, often for personal advantage.
Grammar: Takes a person as the object and often suggests a motive: cultivating influential people.
Patterns
- cultivate someone
The young lawyer was cultivating senior partners in the hope of a promotion.
He spent the evening cultivating potential investors.
They accused her of cultivating journalists to get good coverage.
Word forms
| third person singular | cultivates |
|---|---|
| past tense | cultivated |
| past participle | cultivated |
| -ing form | cultivating |
Common combinations
- cultivating relationships
- Cultivating relationships with clients takes time and care.
- cultivating a habit
- Cultivating a habit of saving money is easier when it starts early.
- cultivating patience
- Cultivating patience helped her through the long recovery.
- cultivating an image
- The politician is cultivating an image as a plain-spoken leader.
- cultivating the soil
- Cultivating the soil before planting makes it easier for roots to spread.
- cultivating talent
- The academy is known for cultivating young talent.
Synonyms and how they differ
- developing
- Developing is the general word for making something grow or improve, while cultivating suggests patient, careful attention like a gardener's.
- nurturing
- Nurturing stresses caring for something delicate so it can flourish, so it is warmer and more protective than cultivating.
- fostering
- Fostering means encouraging something to grow by providing a favorable environment, and it is often used for ideas, attitudes and talent.
- growing
- Growing is the plain everyday word, mostly for plants, while cultivating sounds more deliberate and also works for skills and relationships.
Opposites
Word family
- cultivate verb
- the base form, meaning to develop or to farm land
- cultivation noun
- the act of growing crops or developing a quality
- cultivator noun
- a person or farm tool that prepares soil for planting
- cultivated adjective
- grown on purpose, or showing refined manners
- uncultivated adjective
- not farmed, or lacking polish
Commonly confused: cultivating or cultured?
cultivating vs cultured
Cultured describes a person with refined tastes in art and manners, or something grown in a laboratory. It is not the -ing form of cultivate.
Practice
She spent years ___ a reputation for honesty in the community.
Choose one answer.
Cultivating a reputation means building it patiently over time. Canceling, copying and correcting do not describe developing a reputation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cultivating”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.