rural

adjective

ru·​ral ˈru̇r(-ə)l 

ˈrər(-ə)l

: of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture

rurality

ru̇-ˈra-lə-tē 

noun

rurally

ˈru̇r-ə-lē 

ˈrər-

adverb

Synonyms of rural

• pastoral
• country
• rustic
• bucolic

Examples of rural in a Sentence

She lives in a rural area.

grew up in a rural community where more than half the people were farmers

Recent Examples on the Web

Who want Medicaid, because their rural hospitals are shutting down because of a lack of federal funding? — John Nichols, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026

That’s in urban America, in rural America, in small-town America, in the heartland of America, and in black and brown communities all throughout America. — ABC News, 8 Nov. 2026

When McPherson went off to college, rural stretches — fecund and fruitful — led her northward. — Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026

More than half of Haiti’s population now faces food insecurity, and rural trade depends on routes increasingly cut off by violence and on harvests threatened by drought. — Lys Arango, Vogue, 8 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin ruralis, from rur-, rus open land — more at room

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rural

• rural dean
• rural free delivery
• rural route

Rhymes for rural

• crural
• dural
• jural
• mural
• neural
• pleural
• plural
• sural
• extramural
• intramural
• intrapleural
• figural

Kids Definition

rural

adjective

ru·​ral ˈru̇r-əl 

: of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture