What does cultivate mean?
Word: Cultivate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Cultivate means to prepare land and raise crops or plants on it. It can also mean to build up a good habit or skill over time.
Synonyms: farm, raise, nurture
Antonyms: neglect
How do you spell cultivate?
Syllables: cul - ti - vate
Tricky part: The vowel after cult is i, not e: cultevate is a common slip.
Watch out for: cultevate, cultavate
Memory tip: A farmer cultivates with a tiller, and the ti of tiller sits right in the middle of the word.
Cultivate in a sentence
Example 1: My uncle in Canada cultivates wheat on his farm.
Example 2: We cultivate tomatoes and chillies in pots on our balcony.
Example 3: Ms Rao asks us to cultivate the habit of reading every night.
Fun Fact
In parts of South Asia, farmers cultivate rice in the monsoon season and wheat in winter, so many fields grow two crops a year.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
cultivate
a) uproot
b) irrigate
c) grow
d) harvest
Show answer
c) grow. To cultivate tomatoes is to grow them with care.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
cultiv_t_
a) i, e
b) e, e
c) a, a
d) a, e
Show answer
d) a, e. The word ends in ate, the same ending as in decorate.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
tiuvaltec
a) captivate
b) cultivate
c) culminate
d) calculate
Show answer
b) cultivate. Cultivate is the only option with no p, no m and just one c, which matches the jumble.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) fertilyse
b) irigate
c) cultivate
d) harvist
Show answer
c) cultivate. Irrigate has a double r, harvest ends in est, and fertilise has an i before the s.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is the best way to cultivate patience?
a) rushing every task to finish first
b) giving up when a job feels long
c) waiting calmly for your turn each day
d) asking others to finish your work
Show answer
c) waiting calmly for your turn each day
2. A farmer has not cultivated a field for years. The field is most likely ____.
a) covered in weeds and wild grass
b) neatly ploughed in rows
c) planted with young saplings
d) full of ripe golden wheat
Show answer
a) covered in weeds and wild grass
