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English Lexicon

Cultural appropriation

/ˌkʌl.tʃər.əl əˌprəʊ.priˈeɪ.ʃən/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #14500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.

    "Wearing a traditional indigenous religious headdress as a fashion accessory is often criticized as cultural appropriation."
  2. 2

    The taking or using of elements from a culture that is not one's own, especially without showing understanding or respect for its history and meaning.

    "The chef faced backlash for commercializing sacred culinary techniques without understanding their cultural roots, sparking a debate on cultural appropriation."
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Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The term combines 'cultural' (derived from the Latin cultura, relating to cultivation or custom) and 'appropriation' (from the Latin appropriare, meaning 'to make one's own'). Emerging primarily within academic and sociological discourse in the late 20th century, it gained widespread public currency in the 21st century to critique power dynamics in cross-cultural borrowing.

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10 Global Lexicons: How "Cultural appropriation" is said worldwide

Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration

🇫🇷French → English

appropriation culturelle

Transliteration: apropriasjɔ̃ kyltyʁɛl

"L'appropriation culturelle est un sujet complexe dans les débats modernes."

🇩🇪German → English

kulturelle Aneignung

Transliteration: kʊl.tuˈʁɛl.lə ˈaːnˌʔaɪ̯ɡ.nʊŋ

"Die Diskussion über kulturelle Aneignung wird oft kontrovers geführt."

🇮🇹Italian → English

appropriazione culturale

Transliteration: approprjatsjone kulturale

"L'appropriazione culturale solleva questioni di rispetto ed etica."

🇪🇸Spanish → English

apropiación cultural

Transliteration: apropjaˈsjon kul.tuˈɾal

"La apropiación cultural ocurre cuando se adoptan elementos sin respeto."

🇵🇹Portuguese → English

apropriação cultural

Transliteration: apropɾiɐˈsɐ̃w kuwtuˈɾaw

"A apropriação cultural é frequentemente discutida na moda e na música."

🇮🇳Hindi → English

सांस्कृतिक विनियोजन

Transliteration: sanskritik viniyojan

"सांस्कृतिक विनियोजन एक संवेदनशील मुद्दा बन गया है।"

🇨🇳Chinese → English

文化挪用

Transliteration: wénhuà nuóyòng

"时尚界经常讨论文化挪用的问题。"

🇰🇷Korean → English

문화적 전유

Transliteration: munhwajeok jeonyu

"문화적 전유는 현대 사회에서 중요한 논점입니다."

🇯🇵Japanese → English

文化的盗用

Transliteration: bunka-teki tōyō

"そのデザインは文化的盗用にあたると批判された。"

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