folksy
Americanadjective
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friendly or neighborly; sociable.
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very informal; familiar; unceremonious.
The politician affected a folksy style.
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belonging to the common people, especially in regard to a conscious use of mannerisms, speech patterns, attitudes, etc..
folksy humor.
adjective
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of or like ordinary people; sometimes used derogatorily to describe affected simplicity
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informal friendly; affable
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of or relating to folk art
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of folksy
Explanation
Something folksy is down-to-earth and comfortable. An airline pilot's folksy voice can be calming to nervous passengers. A folksy restaurant is a modest, familiar kind of place to eat, where the food is plain and you don't need a reservation. A roots or country music group might strive for a folksy look and sound, and a folksy letter has an informal style and colloquial, everyday language. The word folksy was born in the United States in the 1850s, from folk, or "common people."
Vocabulary lists containing folksy
Notes of a Native Son
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Time Bomb
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The Underground Railroad
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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.
See Examples For:
There’s kind of a folksy quality in the manufactured banter between a president and the ballplayers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
He has since reinvented himself as a man of the people, melding a relaxed, folksy style with slick social media videos.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Abel, originally from the Canadian Prairies, in many ways embodies Buffett’s Midwestern charm and reputation as a folksy peacemaker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
In arguing his case for punitive damages, Kaley's attorney Mark Lanier - a folksy Texas litigator - had shown the jury a jar of M&Ms.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
A master showman, he urged bidders on with folksy sayings like “Come on boys, this old wildcat is liable to have a mess of kittens.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Fortunately, Nelson’s crew had folksier wisdom to dispense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2020
For many Koreans, there is a collective shame about the folksier elements of their own culture.
From The Guardian ● May 8, 2017
The new “Voices of Pearl Harbor” tour uses a folksier approach, with acoustic guitar and ukulele music playing in the background as Bruner talks about the waterfront and Waikiki, circa 1941.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 20, 2015
Visions of a folksier Fleetwood Mac and Beach Boys come to mind, but their closing song “Hero” is a classic of its own accord.
From Time ● Jul. 7, 2014
It was always sixties music too—I recognized the Beatles and some of the folksier stuff you hear on the classic rock stations.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
Spirit Lake is distended by a cast of more than four dozen major characters cursed with total recall and the folksiest dialect since Mr. Dooley.
From Time Magazine Archive
With studied informality, the Donner Trail Ranch manages to be both the fanciest and the folksiest in the Reno area.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
