rural Hear it!

rural Definition

ru·ral (ro̵or′əl)

adjective

  1. of or characteristic of the country, country life, or country people; rustic
  2. living in the country
  3. having to do with farming; agricultural

Etymology: ME < MFr < LL ruralis < L rus (gen. ruris), the country < IE *rewos, space < base *rewe-, to open, room

rural Related Forms

ru′·rally adverb

rural Synonyms

rural

modif.

rustic, country, farm, agricultural, pastoral, bucolic, backwoods, provincial, Arcadian, sylvan, agrarian, georgic, agronomic, ranch, exurban.

Antonyms urban*, industrial*, commercial.

rural is the comprehensive, nonspecific word referring to life on the farm or in the country as distinguished from life in the city rural schools; rustic stresses the contrast between the supposed crudeness and unsophistication of the country and the supposed polish and refinement of the city rustic humor; pastoral, often used in literary contexts, suggests a highly idealized primitive simplicity of rural life, originally among shepherds; in contrast, bucolic, also a literary term, suggests a down-to-earth rustic simplicity or artlessness her bucolic suitor

rural Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • area: We serve a large rural area in the heart of North Norfolk.
  • economy: Would there be a rural economy left worthy of the name?
  • community: Based above all on trusting rural communities to have far more say in deciding their own futures.
  • setting: We are in a rural setting, just over a mile outside of the village of Combe Martin in North Devon.
  • location: The safe campus is in a beautiful rural location.
  • village: Not the first thing you expect to find in a rural village!

Used with adjective complement

  • become: The scene becomes almost rural especially beside Wolverhampton Horse Track.
  • see: The family will also get to see rural Cambodia, with a horse drawn buggy ride through pretty countryside.

Modifying Another Word

  • predominantly: Features of agriculture in Cambodia Cambodia has a predominantly rural population, with some 85 per cent of people living in rural areas.
  • predominately: Despite the population density, Central Java is predominately rural with an agricultural-based economy.
  • largely: The remainder of the district is largely rural, with the centers of population split between small towns and villages.
  • mainly: A mainly rural area, with several small towns, Clydesdale makes for a scenic working environment.
  • surprisingly: To the west of Chertsey are Lyne and Longcross, villages that are surprisingly rural in appearance with well farmed land on all sides.
  • overwhelmingly: Participation and accountability key to reducing poverty Extreme poverty in the developing world is overwhelmingly rural.

Preposition: in

  • nature: As the area is predominantly rural in nature the improvements will also ease the problems caused by seasonal agricultural produce movements.
  • appearance: To the west of Chertsey are Lyne and Longcross, villages that are surprisingly rural in appearance with well farmed land on all sides.

Preposition: with

  • town: The north of the county is very rural with few major towns except Barnstaple, Great Torrington, Bideford and Ilfracombe.
  • village: To the south of the A2 the Boro is largely rural with small, historic villages and hamlets.

Preposition: than

area: For some indicators, levels of disadvantage are significantly less in rural than urban areas.