noun
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a surly ill-bred person
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archaic a farm labourer
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a variant spelling of ceorl
Etymology
Origin of churl
First recorded before 900; Middle English cherl, Old English ceorl “male human being, man, freeman (of the lowest class)”; cognate with Dutch kerel, German Kerl “guy, fellow, chap”; akin to carl
Explanation
A churl is a rude or nasty person. The basketball player who's constantly jabbing opponents with his elbows and deliberately tripping them is a churl. Churl comes from the Old English ceorl, "peasant," and originally that's exactly what it meant: a commoner, or person who didn't belong to the nobility. During the 15th century, the word became somewhat negative, meaning "a low fellow," and by the 1800s it meant "person inclined to loutish behavior." Today churl is less common than its related adjective churlish, but it's still a great name for someone who's vulgar and mean.
Vocabulary lists containing churl
Scrooge, Grinch, and Churl: Wonderful Words for Unpleasant People
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"The Wife of Bath's Tale," Vocabulary from the narrative poem
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 5
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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.
Barabak: You would have to be a churl not to respect and admire Vance’s career path, which, to use a phrase oft-heard Monday might, truly embodies the American Dream.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2024
And you’d have to be a churl not to like it.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2019
But with the superb singing on display, I am beginning to feel like a churl for citing any flaws.
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2015
Nonetheless, Pietersen has been constantly criticised for his style, an attitude peculiarly British in its carping churl.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 14, 2012
We should say the man was a churl, who, when he had the power, should have refused to 'leave the world a copy' of such precious hours.
From Pencillings by the Way Written During Some Years of Residence and Travel in Europe by N. Parker Willis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
