bucolic

adjective

bu·​col·​ic byü-ˈkä-lik 

1

: of or relating to shepherds or herdsmen : pastoral

2

a

: relating to or typical of rural life

b

: idyllic

bucolically

byü-ˈkä-li-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

The Origin of Bucolic Is "Utterly" Quaint

We get bucolic from the Latin word bucolicus, which is ultimately from the Greek word boukolos, meaning "cowherd." When bucolic was first used in English as an adjective in the early 17th century, it meant "pastoral" in a narrow sense—that is, it referred to things related to shepherds or herdsmen and in particular to pastoral poetry. Later in the 19th century, it was applied more broadly to things rural or rustic. Bucolic has also been occasionally used as a noun meaning "a pastoral poem" or "a bucolic person."

Synonyms

• rural

Examples of bucolic in a Sentence

Pine Ridge …  . Its generic blandness and vaguely bucolic quality anticipated similar names—the Oak Parks and River Groves and Lake Forests and Chestnut Hills … —Ian Frazier, On the Rez, 2000

… the massive population growth has transformed a collection of bucolic villages and mill towns into a chain of strip-mall suburbs. —Jonathan Cohn, New Republic, 7 Feb. 2000

… Intel gives its generations of microprocessors such bucolic code names as Deschutes, Tillamook, and Katmai but then rolls them out with names that rival those of popes and medieval heads of state: Pentium the III, Celeron the Meek, and Xeon the Magnificent. —Jake Kirchner, PC Magazine, 25 May 1999

… the North Shore commuter train scuds through bucolic landscape for a while, the rocks and trees permitting glimpses of Appleton Farms … —John Updike, New England Monthly, October 1989

a bucolic region where farms are still common

Recent Examples on the Web

Fargo, Get Out, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Rosemary's Baby come up when Martin discusses influences for this story about the bucolic town of Tall Pines and the eccentric leader of the local school for troubled teens. —EW.com, 31 July 2025

In the ad, over elegiac fiddle music, a fleet of Dodge Challengers speeds through a bucolic landscape and scatters a regiment of musket-bearing redcoats. —Alex Carp, New Yorker, 28 July 2025

Step five: Enjoy a picnic in the bucolic setting and then rope swing to your heart’s content. —Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 7 July 2025

The scene is bucolic, except for the occasional semi-truck that speeds by on the narrow but busy road adjacent to the orchard, a reminder of the commercial industry that is creeping into the rural area. —Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin bucolicus, from Greek boukolikos, from boukolos cowherd, from bous head of cattle + -kolos (akin to Latin colere to cultivate) — more at cow, wheel

First Known Use

circa 1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bucolic

• carbolic
• embolic
• glycolic
• hydraulic
• phenolic
• podzolic
• symbolic
• systolic
• alcoholic
• anabolic
• apostolic
• catabolic

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Kids Definition

bucolic

adjective

bu·​col·​ic byü-ˈkäl-ik 

: pastoral entry 1 sense 1a, rural