boorish

adjective

boor·​ish ˈbu̇r-ish 

: resembling or befitting a rude or insensitive person : resembling or befitting a boor

boorish remarks

boorishly adverb

boorishness noun

Synonyms of boorish

• loutish
• uncouth
• classless
• churlish
• clownish
• stupid
• cloddish
• vulgar

Choose the Right Synonym for boorish

boorish, churlish, loutish, clownish mean uncouth in manners or appearance.

boorish implies rudeness of manner due to insensitiveness to others' feelings and unwillingness to be agreeable.

a drunk's boorish behavior

churlish suggests surliness, unresponsiveness, and ungraciousness.

churlish remarks

loutish implies bodily awkwardness together with stupidity.

a loutish oaf

clownish suggests ill-bred awkwardness, ignorance or stupidity, ungainliness, and often a propensity for absurd antics.

an adolescent's clownish conduct

Examples of boorish in a Sentence

boorish behavior, such as yelling for service in restaurants

Recent Examples on the Web

In that film, McAdams is bawdily hilarious yet shockingly believable as a high school girl who finds her body being embodied by Schneider’s boorish thief. —Jenelle Riley, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026

Indeed, their body language and working relationship belies nothing of the boorish, antagonistic dynamic between Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose enmity risked lives (as when Cuomo held up a mass Covid vaccine site in New York due to his beef with de Blasio). —Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026

The Brits are wonderful people, and those accents can cover a wide array of boorish behaviors. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Dec. 2025

Kimmel, like Stephen Colbert, went from acting as boorish right-wing caricatures to playing themselves — that is, liberals who dislike Trump and support vaccines. —David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see boor

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for boorish

• moorish