Californication
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The adoption of practices and beliefs associated with California, in particular Hollywood and Silicon Valley. uncountable
"Isaac was pictured as the only male in the state who could satisfy his many succubi, and the Californication took place on his couch in City Hall, in the Temple, in saloons, in his carriage, in his home, oh, just anywhere."
- 2 The large-scale development of land; urban sprawl. US, derogatory, uncountable
"It's also culturally unique, its natives resisting many elements of "californication", the "glintzy" urban sprawl typified by Los Angeles."
Example
More examples"Isaac was pictured as the only male in the state who could satisfy his many succubi, and the Californication took place on his couch in City Hall, in the Temple, in saloons, in his carriage, in his home, oh, just anywhere."
Etymology
From Californ(ia) + -ication. First use appears c. 1947. Especially popularized by the use as title for a song (1999) and a TV series (2007–2014). Some folk interpretations often rebracket it as Cali + fornication for humorous or derogatory effect.
Related phrases
More for "californication"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.