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as in miser
a mean grasping person who is usually stingy with money don't bother asking for donations at that house—the churl who lives there believes that charity begins and ends at home

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of churl But the cartoonish executive in Episode 1 will require a Grinch-like turnaround to become anything but a clownish churl. Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2022 The churl’s view. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 July 2021 Only a churl would lament the existence of these testaments to the out-of-nowhere potential of a great pop hit. Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for churl
Noun
  • Local spats could now feed into a mass movement that spread far beyond individual disputes between a peasant and a particularly nasty abbot or lord.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Perhaps 200,000 peasants supported a population of 3 million people in the Nile Valley in the 2nd millennium BCE.
    Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But nobody should ride this bike, or its cousins, like a juice miser on a cargo run.
    Kevin Purdy, ArsTechnica, 20 Sep. 2025
  • But as the legend grew, so did the myths — such as that of Comiskey being a miser, forcing his players to seek compensation through gamblers.
    Ronald Blum, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
Noun
  • Without so many of the fears, complexes, and prejudices hick shaped us in the ‘90s and the ‘00s.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 20 June 2025
  • Sorrentino may also be exorcising some conflicting feelings about his birthplace, which is portrayed as a vulgar, crude place populated by crooks and hicks and photographed like its paradise.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Saddled with an uninteresting jerk half the time and a muzzled non-entity the other half, there’s only a handful of moments in the first six episodes where Powell’s star power shines through.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2025
  • For a taste of the Caribbean, head to Kingston Kitchen at the Village Inn, where chef Shawn Fearon serves the flavors of his native Jamaica—oxtail, jerk chicken, ackee and saltfish, curried goat, and the best whitefish sandwich on the island.
    Christine Chitnis, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Stiltwalking clown Connor Breen shook my hand and welcomed me to the team.
    Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
  • That powerhouse voice is almost at odds with Warren’s easygoing, class clown personality.
    Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The impish Reeves brings puppy-dog codependence to the scruffy Estragon, who leans on Vladimir as his body and memory fail him.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Previously, dog owners were only required to report bites to Maricopa County Animal Care & Control, with no obligation to share contact information with victims — leading to many unreported incidents, according to the agency.
    Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Ma and Pa Kent are the most stereotypical country bumpkins imaginable.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • Going to the Ron Burgundy–Ricky Bobby idiot well one time too many, Ferrell plays Cam Brady, a lazy, cynical longtime congressman running against a local bumpkin (Galifianakis).
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • It was adapted into a huge hit movie starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray, but the breakout characters were local yokels Ma and Pa Kettle, who went on to star in eight spinoff movies.
    Brian Boone, Vulture, 18 June 2025
  • To the yokel who makes his donations in cash and is proud of himself for knowing what LEO stands for.
    Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Churl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churl. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

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