bumpkin
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
- bumpkinish adjective
- bumpkinly adjective
Etymology
Origin of bumpkin1
1560–70; < Middle Dutch bommekijn “little barrel,” equivalent to boom beam + -kijn -kin
Origin of bumpkin2
First recorded in 1625–35; from Middle Dutch boomken, equivalent to boom “tree, pole, beam” + -ken, diminutive suffix; see origin at boom 2, beam, -kin
Explanation
Bumpkin is a disparaging term for someone who's unsophisticated and lacks social grace. This word is most commonly applied to people who live in the country, away from cultural events and urban life. A stereotypical bumpkin is uneducated, not well read and not particularly interested in the wider world. Before you write someone off as a bumpkin, you should probably get to know them better: this is a word that's firmly rooted in stereotypes and often erroneous assumptions. According to etymologists, bumpkin derives from a Dutch word that means "small barrel."
Vocabulary lists containing bumpkin
Moby Dick
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Almost American Girl
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Frank Gifford (1930-2015) Tribute List
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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.
“Shanghai was the place to be. It had the best restaurants, the best nightclubs, the coolest people. I felt like such a country bumpkin, but I learned fast.”
From BBC • Aug. 15, 2024
So a school that I had never visited, Harvard, took an enormous risk and accepted me, and I became a token country bumpkin to round out a class of polished overachievers.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2023
Lasso is initially portrayed as a naïve bumpkin with little understanding of the sport, his team or the country he’s living in.
From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2023
Far from a first-degree murder defendant facing life in prison, he looked like a bumpkin who had won a new tractor.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2021
“But I’m a country bumpkin and this is my first city party so you have to forgive me.”
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
