noun
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seeds or fragments of grass or straw
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informal a yokel
Etymology
Origin of hayseed
Explanation
A hayseed is an unintelligent country person, or a hick. You might be tempted to call your farmer cousin a hayseed, but your cousin would probably be upset. The derogatory term hayseed is aimed at rural folks who aren't particularly urbane or savvy — it's a stereotype of someone who's comfortable in the country being awkward, bumbling, and unsophisticated, especially when visiting a city. This U.S. slang comes from the common 19th century saying that country people "have hayseed in their hair."
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.
Old meaning of hick: hayseed, rube, ill-educated person.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
As explained in the film, Marx saw an appealing contradiction in Cavett, the Yale-educated Nebraskan, the erudite hayseed.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2022
I, on the other hand, remain a philistine and a hayseed.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 15, 2022
At the height of The Apprentice’s popularity, Megan Mullally found herself performing the Green Acres theme tune alongside Trump – clad in full hayseed outfit – as part of an excruciatingly protracted Emmys bit.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 12, 2019
When we didn’t speak, Aileen hummed so softly and warmly, I thought of the cicadas and the crickets singing at dusk in the dust and hayseed of Uncle Earl’s farm.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
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.
