yokel

[ yoh-kuhl ]

noun

, Informal

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

yokel

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈyokelish, adjective

Other Words From

• yokel·ish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of yokel¹

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of yokel¹

C19: perhaps from dialect yokel green woodpecker, yellowhammer

Example Sentences

Yet Mike Huckabee, an authentic by-his-bootstraps populist, was dismissed by the party's actual elite as a country yokel.

From The Daily Beast

Hesitatingly, and like a clumsy yokel, I blurted: I have been wondering whether you cared for the performance I gave?

From Project Gutenberg

How can she have cared a hang for Ned, if she's ready to go and marry a yokel, for the sake of a home and respectability?

From Project Gutenberg

Some yokel writes in the village paper, as Henley had written before, "James's stuff was not worth doing."

From Project Gutenberg

The yokel if he feels inclined for a sleep lies down and takes it just as the dumb creatures do.

From Project Gutenberg

For among the mud-larks he recognises one who, early in the day, offered insult to himself, calling him a “country yokel.”

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• boor
• country bumpkin