agriculture
5 synonyms and 0 antonyms for agriculture, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The practice of growing crops and raising animals for food and other products.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use agriculture
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Etymology
From Latin agricultura, from ager ("field") + cultura ("cultivation") — literally "the cultivation of fields."
Full origin of agriculture →Frequently asked questions
What does “agriculture” mean?
The word “agriculture” means the practice of growing crops and raising animals for food and other products. In plain terms, farming — growing crops and raising livestock.
How do you pronounce “agriculture”?
“Agriculture” is pronounced AG-rih-kuhl-chuh (/ˈæɡ.ɹɪˌkʌl.tʃɚ/ in IPA).
How do you use “agriculture” in a sentence?
Here is “agriculture” used in a sentence: “Agriculture remains the largest employer in many developing countries.”
What part of speech is “agriculture”?
“Agriculture” is a noun.
Where does the word “agriculture” come from?
The word “agriculture” comes from Latin. From Latin agricultura, from ager ("field") + cultura ("cultivation") — literally "the cultivation of fields.".
Is “agriculture” a common word?
“Agriculture” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
What is the difference between agriculture and farming?
Farming is the hands-on activity or business of working a farm. Agriculture is the broader field: the whole practice of growing crops and raising animals for food and other products, including the related science, technology, and industry. All farming is agriculture, but agriculture also covers areas beyond individual farms.
What is the difference between agriculture and horticulture?
Agriculture is the overall practice of growing crops and raising animals for food and other products. Horticulture is a branch of it focused on cultivating garden crops such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants, typically on a smaller and more intensive scale. Field crops and livestock fall under agriculture but not horticulture.
What is the adjective form of agriculture?
The adjective is agricultural, as in agricultural land, agricultural machinery, and agricultural policy. Using agriculture itself as a modifier, as in "agriculture sector," is seen in headlines but agricultural is the standard adjective in careful writing. The person noun is agriculturalist or, less commonly, agriculturist.
What is the difference between agricultural and agrarian?
Agricultural relates directly to the practice of agriculture: agricultural products, agricultural workers. Agrarian relates to land, its cultivation, and its ownership, and typically describes societies, economies, or reforms, as in "an agrarian economy" or "agrarian reform." You would call a tractor agricultural, not agrarian.