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

Five days later, their bodies were found in a rural area of Quay County, New Mexico, hours away from their home. —David Chiu, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025

Inflation rose in both urban and rural areas. —Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2025

Across the country, olive groves, organic farms, and rural estates welcome visitors into the heart of Spain’s culinary identity. —Spain Tourism, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025

Nestled in the rural community of Piru, about 40 miles north of downtown Los Angeles in the northeastern reaches of Ventura County, the entire spread is asking $44 million, with the listing shared by Bill McDavid of Hall and Hall and Terry Hundemer of the Chickering Company. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 18 Dec. 2025

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
• extramural
• intramural
• intrapleural
• figural
• flexural

Kids Definition

rural

adjective

ru·​ral ˈru̇r-əl 

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