countryman

American  

[kuhn-tree-muhn] / ˈkʌn tri mən /

noun

plural

countrymen

1. a native or inhabitant of one's own country.

   Synonyms:

   landsman, compatriot

   Antonyms:

   foreigner

2. a native or inhabitant of a particular region.

3. a person who lives in the country.

   Synonyms:

   peasant, farmer, rustic

4. an unsophisticated person, as one who lives in or comes from a rural area; rustic.

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countryman British  

/ ˈkʌntrɪmən /

noun

1. a person who lives in the country

2. a person from a particular country or from one's own country (esp in the phrase fellow countryman )

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Gender

Is countryman gender-neutral? See -man.

Other Word Forms

• countrywoman noun

Etymology

Origin of countryman

First recorded in 1275–1325, countryman is from Middle English contre man. See country, man

Example Sentences

Since Bale retired in 2023, Wilson has scored more goals than any of his countrymen.

From BBC

Even with all that milieu and surrounded by many of their countrymen, some Americans still get homesick.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet I recall my father, a former Marine, being frustrated by Jimmy Carter’s unwillingness to take aggressive action to get our countrymen home.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Our countrymen, our fellow citizens, are not afraid of us. They don’t harbor any ideas that we intend to alter the government of the country or change the nature of this government in any way.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Like Dr. F. himself, Ms. Gyllenhaal has unleashed a monster on unsuspecting countrymen.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• compatriot