as in boorish
having or showing crudely insensitive or impolite manners
it would be churlish for any dinner guest to express anything but gratitude for his host's generous hospitality
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of churlish
Kay hasn’t acted since before Marty was born, and Marty never breaks character — they were made for a churlish May-December affair that unlocks something in them both.
—
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 1 Dec. 2025
Read more: How the Low-Stakes Murder Mystery Took Over Pop Culture
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Still, The Thursday Murder Club is so good-natured, and so gorgeous to look at, that to carp about it just seems churlish.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 22 Aug. 2025
The pure of heart among you may recoil at the notion that anyone would sow brutish chaos, hurt vulnerable people and throw any semblance of democracy under the bus for a churlish, vicious distraction.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2025
Chinese anger was displayed again in the churlish treatment of visiting Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in July when, apart from other indignities, the Chinese Foreign Ministry publicly released its list of demands to Washington while her meeting was still underway.
—Danny Russel, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2021
See All Example Sentences for churlish
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 1 Dec. 2025
Read more: How the Low-Stakes Murder Mystery Took Over Pop Culture
Advertisement
Still, The Thursday Murder Club is so good-natured, and so gorgeous to look at, that to carp about it just seems churlish.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 22 Aug. 2025
The pure of heart among you may recoil at the notion that anyone would sow brutish chaos, hurt vulnerable people and throw any semblance of democracy under the bus for a churlish, vicious distraction.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2025
Chinese anger was displayed again in the churlish treatment of visiting Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in July when, apart from other indignities, the Chinese Foreign Ministry publicly released its list of demands to Washington while her meeting was still underway.
—Danny Russel, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2021
See All Example Sentences for churlish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for churlish
Adjective
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Entitled also makes a compelling case that Andrew is—to put it delicately—boorish and dim.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
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An exodus of prosecutors who didn’t care for his staff screaming sessions and boorish press conferences.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Trump's uncouth behavior barely rates a headline anymore, so frequent are the examples.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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Onscreen, Heathcliff has been represented over the years as a hunky-if-uncouth white man played by the likes of Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, and Ralph Fiennes.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Mays’ Salieri is at once aghast at such loutish behavior and bitterly envious that Mozart is exceptional enough to get away with it.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Vance’s tone was loutish in the distinctive, and tiresome, Trump way.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Of all the live-action shows made by Adult Swim, Three Busy Debras is the most cartoonish; its world is as elastic and stupid as any Chuck Jones Looney Tunes joint.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
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Anyone who says anything else is stupid or lying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The clownish dance is a Fortnite video game gesture, and involves making an L shape with fingers, pressing it to one’s forehead, then high kicking from side to side.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Mar. 2026
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He’s best known at this point either for playing the clownish Jack on Will & Grace or for being the relatively serious one of the three celebrity chatters on his podcast, Smartless.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Communism, in its traditional definition, describes a system in which private property is abolished and the means of production are collectively owned, with the goal of creating a classless society.—
Cameron Schoppa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Louis Hartz maintained that the hegemony of liberal thought, with its vaunting of the classless individual, made Marxists politically superfluous.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Other complaints from the boys included rude police officers and strict rules.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
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While Ward’s speed made for a rude welcoming, the most notable part of Cole’s day was his velocity.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the season after getting in a heated back-and-forth with Magic center Goga Bitadze, alleging afterward that Bitadze made a vulgar remark in Serbian to him about his family.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
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The victim's mother allegedly told police that Paljusevic made vulgar comments to the body of the victim's father at the public viewing.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Churlish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churlish. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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