boorish

adjective

boor·​ish ˈbu̇r-ish How to pronounce boorish (audio)
: resembling or befitting a rude or insensitive person : resembling or befitting a boor
boorish remarks
boorishly adverb
boorishness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for boorish

boorish, churlish, loutish, clownish mean uncouth in manners or appearance.

boorish implies rudeness of manner due to insensitiveness to others' feelings and unwillingness to be agreeable.

a drunk's boorish behavior

churlish suggests surliness, unresponsiveness, and ungraciousness.

churlish remarks

loutish implies bodily awkwardness together with stupidity.

a loutish oaf

clownish suggests ill-bred awkwardness, ignorance or stupidity, ungainliness, and often a propensity for absurd antics.

an adolescent's clownish conduct

Examples of boorish in a Sentence

boorish behavior, such as yelling for service in restaurants
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.
While the boorish behavior of Twain’s shipmates is cataloged throughout (snapping off pieces of ancient monuments for souvenirs, for instance), his most flamboyant portrayal is a self-portrait. Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 5 June 2025 Final Destination 5 suffers from a pretty dull ensemble of future corpses (the most boorish include David Koechner and Rugrat from The Wolf of Wall Street), going through the same cycle of disbelief and dread the death-list targets always experience in these movies. A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 19 May 2025 Intention and accidents, theft and boorish behavior: it all gets folded into the myth-serving lore. Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 19 May 2025 MacFarlane will continue to provide the voice of Ted — a teddy bear brought to life by a boy’s wish, now grown up and bearing the hallmarks of a boorish Seth MacFarlane character. Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for boorish

Word History

Etymology

see boor

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of boorish was in 1562

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Boorish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boorish. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on boorish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!