yokel
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of yokel
First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain
Explanation
Yokel is a disparaging name for someone from a small town or the countryside. To call someone a yokel is to imply that they are unsophisticated, uneducated, and probably dim-witted. Before the age of internet and television, if you grew up in a small town or on a farm, you probably wouldn’t have known about the latest fashions of Paris and Milan or the best restaurants in New York. Even now, if you live in a remote place, you may have a somewhat provincial understanding of the world. If so, when you visit the Big City an unkind “city slicker” may call you a yokel.
Vocabulary lists containing yokel
100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer, The Pardoner's Prologue
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Odyssey
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
In a hilarious illustration of this disconnect, Ms. Hansen writes of a yokel who poured “twenty bags of soil” on the balcony of his Karagümrük apartment to plant beans, tomatoes and peppers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
"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
When I first arrived in Mqhekezweni I was regarded by some of my peers as a yokel who was hopelessly unequipped to exist in the rarefied atmosphere of the Great Place.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
