cultivating

verb

present participle of cultivate
1
as in developing
to come to have gradually cultivated a taste for opera in order to fit in with his new circle of friends

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2
as in promoting
to help the growth or development of cultivated a passion for learning among his students over the years

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in growing
to look after or assist the growth of by labor and care in an attempt to produce New World counterparts of the wines that he had enjoyed in Europe, Jefferson cultivated several varieties of grapes at Monticello

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in harvesting
to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on we ought to cultivate the field out back

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cultivating The first step to cultivating a fuss-free garden is selecting the appropriate plants. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 July 2026 As days turn into years, the neighborhood is overrun by wildlife and the family adapts by cultivating food indoors. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 15 June 2026 Instead of cultivating the rough aliveness of our humanity, these tools seem geared toward replacing our clunky human efforts. — Rebekah Taussig, Time, 7 July 2026 Hydrangea expert Mal Condon has been cultivating and studying hydrangeas for over 50 years. — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 29 June 2026 Strategic distribution via partnerships, AI fluency, and cultivating a consistent personal brand are also essential. — Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026 Burnham has spent years positioning himself as a viable alternative to Starmer, criticizing Labour's leadership at moments of weakness while carefully cultivating his own national profile. — Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 22 June 2026 In his regular visits to Nuuk, Horn has spent much of his time cultivating relationships with business leaders and politicians like Pele Broberg, leader of the pro-independence Naleraq party, who has made no secret of their meetings. — Joshua Hunt, Vanity Fair, 17 June 2026 The normalization of transactional thinking in education therefore risks cultivating broader cultural acceptance of ethical compromise. — Jason Benedict, Fortune, 7 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cultivating
  1. developing
  2. promoting
  3. growing
  4. harvesting
  5. acquiring
  6. encouraging
  7. producing
  8. farming
Verb
  • Proxima is developing stellarator technology, one of a handful of approaches to fusion, and hopes to have its fusion demonstrator — a proof-of-concept precursor to a commercial power plant — up and running in the early 2030s.
    — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 7 July 2026
  • Genetics also appears to play a significant role, as women who have a close relative with endometriosis face a substantially higher risk of developing the condition themselves.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of developing
Verb
  • Good Chop is dedicated to providing the finest cuts of meat while promoting sustainable practices.
    — Rachel Cortez, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • The company threw a lavish caviar party at Cannes and in May hosted panels promoting its cinematic tool at Amazon’s AI on the Lot event in Culver City.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
Definition of promoting
Verb
  • The group, already one of the largest White supremacist organizations in the country, is quickly growing its membership, at a time when hate crimes are on the rise.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • And each time another first-time climber reaches the top, the applause rising from the rocks below suggests that, little by little, that community is growing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 July 2026
Definition of growing
Verb
  • Since radishes mature much more quickly than carrots, harvesting them creates room for the carrots to fully mature.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 30 June 2026
  • Historians estimate that people have been growing and harvesting olives for some 8,000 years.
    — Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 June 2026
Definition of harvesting
Verb
  • The new rate does not cover the cost of acquiring or performing treatment in most cases.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026
  • The Heat are also considered viable after acquiring Giannis, while a Cavaliers return for a farewell tour faces skepticism regarding a minimum deal.
    — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of acquiring
Verb
  • The commission has launched several initiatives leading up to the anniversary, including America's Field Trip, a nationwide essay and artwork contest for students, and volunteer service campaigns encouraging Americans to log community service hours.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • No one was ever charged with pulling the trigger, but three other men, Paul McIntyre, 58, Peter Cavanagh, 37, and Jordan Gareth Devine, 25, were charged with murder as accomplices for encouraging or assisting the shooter.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of encouraging
Verb
  • Instead of producing energy from heat, as with the radiothermal generators found on deep-space probes like Voyager 2, the NanoTritium system generates electricity directly.
    — David Szondy July 07, New Atlas, 8 July 2026
  • Tired of spending his days simply delighting in psychological torture and revenge, Lestat publicly chases the life of a famous rock star, writing and producing an album and performing in a cross-country tour while maintaining a fake vampire persona.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2026
Definition of producing
Verb
  • He’s been farming and gardening since 2008 with different neighborhood associations and other places in the city.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
  • The conversations wander naturally from food to family to farming.
    — Emily Cappiello, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of farming

Browse Nearby Words

cultivates
cultivating
cultivation
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Cite this Entry

“Cultivating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cultivating. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cultivating

Nglish: Translation of cultivating for Spanish Speakers

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