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

Our family, a conservative one living in rural North Carolina, was an NPR (National Public Radio) family. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025

Where to Stay This year’s course is very rural, so don’t shy away from high-end accommodations in Belfast, such as the Merchant Hotel, which can arrange for transfers to the event. —Kelsey Ogletree, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2025

With the coming Upper House election this summer, the LDP may be reluctant to alienate its rural voter base. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 8 May 2025

Among the events most significantly impacted are rural Prides in conservative areas of the country. —Nico Lang, Them., 8 May 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