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Synonyms

backwoodsman

American  
[bak-woodz-muhn] / ˈbækˈwʊdz mən /

noun

  • backwoodsmen
    plural
  1. a person living in or coming from the backwoods, or a remote or unsettled area.

  2. a person of uncouth manners, rustic behavior or speech, etc.

  3. British. a peer who rarely attends the House of Lords.


backwoodsman British  
/ ˈbækˌwʊdzmən /

noun

  1. a person from the backwoods

  2. informal an uncouth or rustic person

  3. informal a peer who rarely attends the House of Lords

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of backwoodsman

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10; backwoods + -man

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.

See Examples For:

He managed to keep working in small projects in theater, films and TV, returning to the mainstream in 1983 with “Cross Creek,” in which he played table-smashing backwoodsman Marsh Turner.

From Fox News ● Jul. 10, 2019

“I felt every bit a backwoodsman, and it threw me off the mark.”

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 5, 2017

The Descent works so well because it adds a creepy Darwinian overtone to the well-worn horror staple of the inbred, bestial backwoodsman.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 25, 2016

Among them were “The Hunt,” in which a recently deceased backwoodsman is saved by his beloved hunting dog from accidentally wandering into Hell.

From Time ● Mar. 25, 2016

“More’n I can say,” rejoined the laconic old backwoodsman.

From The Wolves of God And Other Fey Stories by Algernon Blackwood

He was more than capable of inspiring his fellow rough-hewn backwoodsmen to join his command and leading them into battle, often to their detriment, but great leadership is only one aspect of command.

From Slate ● Mar. 5, 2022

Taxidermy, long the domain of backwoodsmen and museum employees, is enjoying a vogue lately among young urbanites, due in part to a back-to-the-land revival that also favors beards, flannel and butchery workshops.

From New York Times ● Dec. 8, 2010

There, in a cheerful office off to one side of a hangar, Arnold's wife Carol receives shopping lists from the backwoodsmen on her short-wave radio; then she does all their marketing.

From Time Magazine Archive

When backwoodsmen, called for jury duty, expressed surprise at hearing that Chief Aderholt was dead, Judge Barnhill snapped: "Where are you gentlemen from?"

From Time Magazine Archive

The latter rode forward and issued his commands—but the backwoodsmen instead of obeying him, were ignorant even of the military terms he used.

From The Second War with England, Vol. 2 of 2 by Joel Tyler Headley

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