uncultured

Uncultured is an adjective with several uses in different contexts. In biology, it describes organisms or samples that have not been grown in laboratory culture. In everyday language, it refers to people or behavior deemed lacking in culture, refinement, or exposure to arts, education, or social norms. The term derives from culture in the sense of cultivation or civilization, and its opposite is cultured, meaning educated or refined, as well as capable of being grown in culture.

In microbiology, culture is the growth of microorganisms on a prepared medium under controlled conditions. An uncultured organism is one that resists standard cultivation techniques, so scientists may know of its existence primarily through DNA sequences or metagenomic data rather than isolated strains. Many environmental microbes are uncultured by conventional methods; advances in cultivation techniques and genome-resolved metagenomics have begun to reveal their ecological roles and metabolic capabilities.

In social usage, labeling someone as uncultured can imply deficiencies in manners, taste, or exposure to cultural activities. Such usage is subjective and can reflect biases related to class, education, geography, or subculture. Because culture is diverse and dynamic, the term is controversial and often discouraged in formal or sensitive discourse. Related concepts include cultured, civility, refinement, and education. Uncultured can also be used metaphorically to describe ideas or practices that have not yet gained broader social acceptance or refinement.