intercultural

adjective

in·​ter·​cul·​tur·​al ˌin-tər-ˈkəlch-rəl 

-ˈkəl-chə-

variants or less commonly inter-cultural

1

: occurring between or involving two or more cultures (see culture entry 1 sense 1a)

intercultural differences

an intercultural gathering

2

: occurring during the growing period between sowing and harvesting

intercultural operations including weeding, pruning, and fertilizing

3

of a crop : cultivated between the rows of another crop

intercultural beans

interculturally

ˌin-tər-ˈkəlch-rə-lē 

-ˈkəl-chə-

adverb

or less commonly inter-culturally

In transcription, the concerns of most scholars have led to the emphasis of interculturally relevant over culture-specific content.

—Ter Ellingson

Examples of intercultural in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In its first year, the center appointed renowned choreographer Katherine Dunham as a technical adviser in intercultural communication. —Joanna Dee Das, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2025

At the University of North Florida, an L.G.B.T.Q. center, a women’s center, an interfaith center and an intercultural center were all shuttered. —Alan Blinder, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025

My own research on study abroad’s impact suggests that, on average, participants shift toward a more intercultural (as opposed to monocultural) worldview compared with students who remain on their home campuses in the United States. —Eric R. Terzuolo, Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2016

Laurence Lim is the founder and managing director of Cherry Blossoms Intercultural Branding, an intercultural branding agency based in Hong Kong and New York City. —Laurence Lim, WWD, 11 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for intercultural

• agricultural
• countercultural
• horticultural
• multicultural
• silvicultural
• viticultural
• bicultural
• subcultural
• transcultural
• cultural
• nonagricultural
• sociocultural