culture
B1 (High-frequency, common in spoken and written discourse)Formal, neutral, and academic. It is broadly used across all registers.
Definition
Meaning
The ideas, customs, arts, and social behaviours of a particular people, nation, or group.
1. The cultivation of plants, bacteria, or cells in a controlled environment. 2. A state of intellectual and artistic refinement and sophistication. 3. The shared values, practices, and attitudes that characterise an organisation.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
In its core social sense, 'culture' is often conceptualised as a collective, learned phenomenon, distinct from biological inheritance. It can be countable when referring to specific groups ('Asian cultures') and uncountable when referring to the concept in general ('a study of culture'). The biological/agricultural sense is countable and technical.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical. Minor differences exist in collocational preferences (e.g., 'youth culture' vs. 'pop culture' frequency).
Connotations
In both, it carries neutral to positive connotations. In business/management contexts, 'company culture' is slightly more prevalent in American corporate jargon.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in both variants. The verb form ('to culture cells') is more common in American scientific writing.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Noun] of culture (e.g., a aspect of culture)[Adjective] culture (e.g., Western culture)culture + [that-clause] (e.g., a culture that values...)culture + [prepositional phrase] (e.g., culture in the workplace)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “a culture vulture”
- “a culture shock”
- “the culture wars”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to the shared values, beliefs, and practices within a company (e.g., 'We need to improve our company culture to boost retention.').
Academic
A central concept in anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies, analysed as a system of symbols and meanings.
Everyday
Used to talk about food, music, art, and traditions of different countries or groups (e.g., 'I love learning about Italian culture.').
Technical
In biology/medicine: the process of growing microorganisms or tissues in a nutrient medium (e.g., 'a bacterial culture').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The lab will culture the tissue sample for analysis.
- He cultures a specific strain of yeast for his brewery.
American English
- Researchers cultured the bacteria to identify the strain.
- The company cultures an environment of innovation.
adverb
British English
- The festival is culturally enriching.
- The region is culturally diverse.
American English
- She is culturally aware.
- The two groups are culturally distinct.
adjective
British English
- Cultural exchanges are vital for diplomacy.
- The museum holds great cultural significance.
American English
- Cultural appropriation is a sensitive topic.
- New York is a cultural melting pot.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- French culture is famous for its food.
- We studied Egyptian culture in school.
- There is a big difference between office culture in the two companies.
- I experienced culture shock when I moved abroad.
- The government's policy aims to preserve the indigenous culture from globalisation.
- A negative workplace culture can lead to high staff turnover.
- The proliferation of social media has irrevocably altered youth culture and its modes of expression.
- Postcolonial scholars deconstruct the power dynamics embedded in representations of the 'Other's' culture.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'AGRIculture' – cultivating crops. 'Culture' is like cultivating ideas, arts, and social habits of a group.
Conceptual Metaphor
CULTURE IS A LIVING ORGANISM (it grows, evolves, dies out, has roots). CULTURE IS A TAPESTRY/FABRIC (woven from different threads, rich, intricate).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'культура' in the sense of 'politeness' or 'good manners'. The English 'culture' is broader. The Russian word 'культурный' often translates to 'well-mannered' or 'civilised', not 'cultural'. A 'person of culture' in English implies artistic knowledge, not just politeness.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as an adjective instead of 'cultural' (e.g., 'culture differences' – INCORRECT; 'cultural differences' – CORRECT). Overusing the countable form for abstract concepts (e.g., 'I experienced a new culture' is fine, but 'He lacks culture' is uncountable).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'culture' used in its biological/technical sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be both. It's uncountable when referring to the general concept ('Art is an important part of culture'). It's countable when referring to specific societies ('the cultures of Southeast Asia').
'Civilisation' often refers to a large, advanced society with complex systems (government, writing, cities). 'Culture' is broader and can refer to the customs and beliefs of any group, large or small, simple or complex. A civilisation has a culture, but a culture may not constitute a civilisation.
Yes, but primarily in scientific contexts meaning 'to grow microorganisms or cells' (e.g., 'culture bacteria'). Its use in social contexts ('to culture tolerance') is rare and considered jargon.
It refers to the shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and practices that characterise an organisation. It includes things like work ethic, communication style, dress code, and management approach.
Collections
Part of a collection
Travel and Culture
B1 · 48 words · Cultural experiences and traveling the world.
Cultural Topics
B2 · 47 words · Analyzing culture, society and identity.
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