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 of rural

• pastoral
• country
• rustic
• bucolic

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 National Weather Service said tornadoes had been confirmed in mostly rural areas southwest of Chicago, with some preliminary reports of buildings damaged in Streator, a manufacturing and farm city about 100 miles away. —CBS News, 12 June 2026

He was arrested after a two-day manhunt, crawling in a field in a rural part of the state. —Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 11 June 2026

Simsbury residents have reacted with widespread opposition, largely based on concerns about overdevelopment, worsening traffic, a costly spike in school enrollments and unwelcome change to what traditionally has been a semi-rural town. —Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026

The store recently had visitors from the Netherlands on their way to UNBOUND Gravel, a bike racing event on rural roads in Emporia, Kansas. —Julianna Mejia, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026

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
• sural
• extramural
• intramural
• intrapleural
• figural

Kids Definition

rural

adjective

ru·​ral ˈru̇r-əl 

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