bumpkin

1 of 2

noun (1)

bump·​kin ˈbəm(p)-kən How to pronounce bumpkin (audio)
: an awkward and unsophisticated rustic
bumpkinish adjective
bumpkinly adjective

bumpkin

2 of 2

noun (2)

bump·​kin ˈbəm(p)-kən How to pronounce bumpkin (audio)
variants or bumkin
: a spar projecting from a ship especially at the stern

Examples of bumpkin in a Sentence

Noun (1) the bumpkin was overwhelmed by the city's confusing subway system
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Emily in Paris On Location: Hotel Plaza Athénée Paris Rediscover Paris as Chicago bumpkin Emily (played by Lily Collins) moves there for a job and takes you to places like Galeries Lafayette, Galerie-Musee Baccarat and Hotel Plaza Athénée Paris. Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes, 14 Sep. 2024 At their worst, these histories, like the Soviet one, reduce Ukrainians to lazy, irresponsible, prejudiced country bumpkins with exaggerated penchants for vodka and violence. Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2016 There are no bumpkins in Hamaguchi’s movie, either—no one who can be reduced to a small-town, salt-of-the-earth cliché. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024 Working in a glass tower and living in the big city may still be the dream for a bumpkin like Jianlin, but China’s young urbans are starting to head in the opposite direction and seeking more comfortable lifestyles in the countryside. Mohamed El Aassar, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024 But there’s a bitter and violent tone of hatred here that’s more reminiscent of 70s thrillers like Straw Dogs or Deliverance, where backwards country bumpkins take out their grievances on innocent newcomers. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 July 2023 These skirts are chic, fresh and modern, rather than stuffy or country bumpkin. Laura Fenton, Washington Post, 13 June 2023 Memphis, a guitar-strumming gentle giant with a country bumpkin way — touchingly incarnated by Sheldon D. Brown — is the main target of Waters’ irrational ire. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2023 In Russia, people heard a man who could never finish a sentence or get to the punch line—and whose accent marked him, to the end, as a country bumpkin. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

perhaps from Dutch bommekijn small cask, from Middle Dutch, from bomme cask

Noun (2)

probably from Dutch boomken, diminutive of boom tree

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1570, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1613, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bumpkin was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near bumpkin

Cite this Entry

“Bumpkin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumpkin. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bumpkin

noun
bump·​kin
ˈbəm(p)-kən

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