rural
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of the country, country life, or country people; rustic.
agricultural fairs and festivals throughout the rural towns of Georgia.
- Synonyms:
- rough, unsophisticated
- Antonyms:
- urban
-
living in the country.
the rural population.
-
of or relating to agriculture.
rural economy.
noun
adjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of the country or country life
-
living in or accustomed to the country
-
of, relating to, or associated with farming
Synonym Usage
Rural and rustic are terms that refer to the country. Rural is the official term: rural education. It may be used subjectively, and usually in a favorable sense: the charm of rural life. Rustic, however, may have either favorable or unfavorable connotations. In a derogatory sense, it means provincial, boorish, or crude; in a favorable sense, it may suggest ruggedness or a homelike rural charm: rustic simplicity.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of rural
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin rūrālis, equivalent to rūr- (stem of rūs ) “the country, rural land” (akin to room ) + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Rural means "relating to or characteristic of the country or the people who live there." If you move to a rural area, you won't see a lot of skyscrapers or taxis — but you'll probably see a lot of trees. You may have known people who live on country roads––mail to their houses must be addressed to a rural route, abbreviated as RR. Rustic is a near synonym but emphasizes the supposed qualities of country people: being simple, awkward, and even rude and rough. The adjective rural descends from Middle English, from Old French, from Latin rūrālis, from rūs "the country."
Vocabulary lists containing rural
List 4
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The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He had just picked me up from Casa Rural Cieza de León, a charming inn in Llerena, my base camp 90 minutes north of Seville.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
Professor Davy McCracken, from Scotland's Rural College, has spent 35 years studying upland management and wildlife.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
It is understood that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had been working on the changes for several years, before Beau Vine's registration.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Rural counties saw some of the biggest increase in rejected ballots because they came in too late, The Times found.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
Thanks to President Roosevelt’s Rural Electrification Administration, begun in 1936, electricity came to the quarter of the population that lived on farmlands.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
