Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

yokel

American  
[yoh-kuhl] / ˈyoʊ kəl /

noun

Informal

  1. an unsophisticated person from a rural area; a country bumpkin.

yokel British  
/ ˈjəʊkəl /

noun

  1. derogatory (used chiefly by townspeople) a person who lives in the country, esp one who appears to be simple and old-fashioned

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • yokelish adjective

Etymology

Origin of yokel

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

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.

"Ted Lasso" was introduced as a the story of a out-of-place Kansas yokel in Britain, with Jason Sudeikis playing Ted as the kind of man aware of the assumptions people will make about him.

From Salon • Aug. 7, 2021

A Missoula yokel is on hand to puncture that claim as out of touch — a fair gripe, and Martin wants us to know he knows it.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2020

“Hilter” plans to run for a minor office in a local election and gives a speech from a balcony to an audience of three children and one yokel with a straw hat.

From Slate • Oct. 14, 2019

"She was a bully who treated me like some country yokel from Yorkshire. I couldn't abide her then, so I won't pretend I am looking forward to rubbing shoulders with her now."

From BBC • May 29, 2017

I wasn’t even sure what a yokel was, but I tried blending in anyway.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

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.