rural

adjective

ru·​ral ˈru̇r(-ə)l 

ˈrər(-ə)l

: of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture

rurality

ru̇-ˈra-lə-tē 

noun

rurally

ˈru̇r-ə-lē 

ˈrər-

adverb

Synonyms

• bucolic
• country
• pastoral
• rustic
• rustical

Examples of rural in a Sentence

She lives in a rural area.

grew up in a rural community where more than half the people were farmers

Recent Examples on the Web

The Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) awards money to low-income and rural school districts. —Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025

The pastor lived on a farm in rural Florida that kept dogs outside and had a group of goats, according to the report, but the man wasn’t involved in their care. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025

He’s got some farm-boy roots to his name Maroney was born in New York City but raised in rural Leicester, Vermont, where his parents—art dealer James Maroney and paintings conservator Suki Fredericks—opened the 750-acre, all-organic Oliver Hill Farm in 1990. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025

Remote work, hybrid models, and lifestyle migration are drawing skilled professionals into mid-size and rural regions. —Scott Hutcheson, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin ruralis, from rur-, rus open land — more at room

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rural

• rural dean
• rural free delivery
• rural route

Rhymes for rural

• crural
• dural
• jural
• mural
• neural
• pleural
• plural
• extramural
• intramural
• intrapleural
• figural
• flexural

Kids Definition

rural

adjective

ru·​ral ˈru̇r-əl 

: of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture