hick

1 of 2

noun

US, informal + disapproving
: an unsophisticated person with local or restricted interests or outlook
hickish adjective

hick

2 of 2

adjective

: unsophisticated, provincial
a hick town

Examples of hick in a Sentence

Noun We felt like a bunch of hicks when we went to the city for the first time. city dwellers who looked down on their cousins from northern Maine as hicks
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.
Noun
Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025 Ricky develops romantic feelings for Chad even though Russ plays him as a soft-spoken, possibly dim rural hick who may well be a literal man-child. Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Allen’s enduring affection for Keaton is as evident on the page as his insistence that Los Angeles (where Keaton was born and raised) is a hick town. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2025 One is a sick herb; the other is a hick Serb. Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2021 See All Example Sentences for hick

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Hick, nickname for Richard

First Known Use

Noun

1669, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1913, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hick was in 1669

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Cite this Entry

“Hick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hick. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

hick

noun
ˈhik
: an awkward or simple person especially from a small town or the country

More from Merriam-Webster on hick

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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