churlish

[chur-lish]

adjective

1. like a churl; boorish; rude.

   churlish behavior.

   Synonyms: uncivil, ill-natured, loutish, vulgar, uncouth, coarse
   Antonyms: courteous

2. of a churl; peasantlike.

3. stingy; mean.

4. difficult to work or deal with, as soil.

churlish

/ ˈtʃɜːlɪʃ /

adjective

1. rude or surly

2. of or relating to peasants

3. miserly

Other Word Forms

• churlishly adverb
• churlishness noun
• unchurlish adjective
• unchurlishly adverb
• unchurlishness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of churlish¹

Before 1000; Middle English cherlish, Old English ceorlisc. See churl, -ish ¹

Example Sentences

When the result is far more important than the performance, it would be churlish to nit-pick too much.

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More churlish souls might attribute such stubborn determination to craven commercial interests, but something more is in play.

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He crosses one flamboyantly shod foot over another on his desk with churlish satisfaction and takes a deep draw on his cigar.

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Marty, meanwhile, hollow-eyed and churlish about straying from their objective, seems haunted with guilt after a recent stint in jail for setting a building on fire.

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But it would be churlish to say either way, comparing eras is a fool's errand.

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Related Words

• grumpy 
• ornery 
• rude 
• sullen 
• uncivilized