upcountry

American  

[uhp-kuhn-tree, uhp-kuhn-tree] / ˈʌpˌkʌn tri, ʌpˈkʌn tri /

adjective

Chiefly Southern U.S.

1. of, relating to, residing in, or situated in the interior of a region or country; inland.

2. Disparaging. unsophisticated.

---

noun

1. the interior of a region or country.

adverb

1. toward, into, or in the interior of a country.

   The explorers trekked upcountry.

upcountry British  

/ ʌpˈkʌntrɪ /

adjective

1. of or coming from the interior of a country or region

2. derogatory lacking the sophistication associated with city-dwellers; countrified

---

noun

1. the interior part of a region or country

adverb

1. towards, in, or into the interior part of a country or region

Etymology

Origin of upcountry

First recorded in 1680–90; up- + country

Example Sentences

In the upcountry Kula area, at least two homes were destroyed Tuesday in a fire that engulfed about 1.7 square miles, Bissen said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2023

The act was so within the norms of Southern upcountry society that the townspeople later made Forrest both constable and coroner, as well as a lieutenant in the state militia.

From Slate • Mar. 5, 2022

Bhumibol’s legacy includes his concern for upcountry rice farms, where he introduced sustainable, environmentally friendly methods.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2016

Barry Broman, then a young diplomat, remembers a Cambodian woman who worked upcountry monitoring the war for the embassy who had also refused evacuation.

From Washington Times • Apr. 9, 2015

The virus surfaced in the Yambuku Mission Hospital, an upcountry clinic run by Belgian nuns.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston