monoculture
/ˈmɒnəkʌltʃə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmɑːnəkʌltʃər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmä-nə-ˌkəl-chər/ (ame, mw)
monoculture — noun
- monoculturesingular
- monoculturesplural
1. a way of farming that keeps the same crop, or just one kind of livestock, on the
a way of farming that keeps the same crop, or just one kind of livestock, on the same land instead of mixing different ones
Wei's family switched from monoculture to mixed farming after insects ruined the corn.
switch from monoculture to mixed farming
A government loan encouraged monoculture, so every hillside near Chiayi grew tea.
encourage monoculture in a region
The farm's monoculture made the soil weaker after ten years of soybeans.
Kofi warned that monoculture leaves banana growers exposed when one disease spreads.
- single-crop farming
states the crop-focused idea more directly
- single-species farming
broader term that also fits animals or trees
- specialized farming
wider term that does not always mean only one crop
- crop rotation
changes what is grown on the same land over time
- mixed farming
combines different crops or animals
- polyculture
grows several species together instead of one
文法句型
switch from/to + monoculture
practice + monoculture
monoculture of + crop/livestock
用法筆記
Usually describes a long-term farming system or policy, not a single day's planting choice. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 names the practice, while sense 2 names the field or population produced by that practice.
常見錯誤
2. an area of land, plantation, or living population made up almost entirely of one
an area of land, plantation, or living population made up almost entirely of one crop or one kind of organism
From the train, Nadia saw a dark green monoculture stretching beyond the river.
a visible monoculture landscape
After the forest was cleared, the new pine monoculture dried the stream each summer.
pine monoculture in ecology
The island's coconut monoculture looked tidy, but almost no birds nested there.
Scientists compared insect numbers in the rice monoculture and the nearby wetland.
- plantation
close only when one commercial crop covers the land
- single-species stand
more technical and especially common in forestry
- mixed woodland
contains different kinds of trees rather than one dominant species
- diverse habitat
stresses biological variety instead of uniformity
文法句型
a + crop/tree + monoculture
create + a monoculture
compare + one monoculture + with + another habitat
用法筆記
Often appears with the name of the crop, tree, or species before it, especially in ecology and forestry writing. Unlike sense 1, this sense points to the actual field, stand, or biological population rather than the farming method itself.
3. a social pattern in which people across many places end up sharing almost the sa
a social pattern in which people across many places end up sharing almost the same tastes, habits, or ideas, with little local difference left
The critic said streaming apps were turning teen music into a global monoculture.
turn X into a monoculture
Adina worries that chain cafes create a monoculture in old shopping streets.
create a monoculture in + place
School trips helped the students question the monoculture shown in most travel ads.
A city can feel like a monoculture when every bookstore sells the same bestsellers.
- uniform culture
plain description with little negative force
- cultural sameness
emphasizes the loss of differences
- homogeneity
more formal and abstract than monoculture
- diversity
general term for variety across groups or places
- pluralism
stresses different values or traditions living side by side
- local character
focuses on the features that make one place distinct
文法句型
create + a monoculture
turn + place/industry + into + a monoculture
a monoculture in + society/industry/place
用法筆記
This sense is a figurative extension from farming and is common in discussions of media, business, or urban life. It often suggests concern that local character or variety is being pushed aside.