uncouth
Americanadjective
-
awkward, clumsy, or unmannerly.
uncouth behavior; an uncouth relative who embarrasses the family.
- Synonyms:
- uncivil, rude, discourteous
- Antonyms:
- courteous
-
strange and ungraceful in appearance or form.
-
unusual or strange.
- Synonyms:
- unfamiliar, odd
adjective
Synonym Usage
See boorish.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of uncouth
before 900; Middle English; Old English uncūth ( see un- 1, couth 2); cognate with Dutch onkond
Explanation
When you're at a fancy dinner party, if you burp after you eat, use your fingers to spread butter on your bread, and hang spoons from your nose, people will probably say you are uncouth, meaning vulgar and ill-mannered. The adjective uncouth comes from Old English and it meant "unfamiliar or not well known." As the meaning developed, the word came to mean "rude, vulgar, or lacking refinement." Interestingly, the word uncouth came first and its antonym, couth, was developed to describe someone who is cultured, polished, and sophisticated. Although couth gets an entry in the dictionary, you will still hear the word uncouth used far more often.
Vocabulary lists containing uncouth
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Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites
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Grade 10, List 4
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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.
Hawthorne called Thoreau “ugly as sin, long-nosed, queer-mouthed, and with uncouth and somewhat rustic, although courteous manners.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
And he’s seen overwhelming support for his shift toward the uncouth.
From Slate ● Dec. 10, 2025
It was classic Alatorre: uncompromising, uncouth and unapologetic in the name of exerting his influence to better Latinos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2024
"It was then reported, that a mad woman was in the habit of disturbing the neighbours, by perambulating the church-yard and other walks, in strange and uncouth dresses," the magazine article added.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2022
Hrothgar shifted about uneasily on his throne, glaring at Unferth, wanting to apologize to Beowulf for his henchman's uncouth behavior.
From "Beowulf: A New Telling" by Robert Nye
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.
