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

In my experience, rural electronic health record data is often structured for billing compliance rather than clinical intelligence. — Ayush Jain, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Juan Rulfo infused his novel Pedro Páramo with half a century of political and economic violence, envisioning rural Mexico as a mythic space where past and present overlap. — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Satellite internet can reach rural homes, farms, ships, planes, emergency teams and businesses that need backup connectivity. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

Aunt Essie came to Chicago during The Great Migration, when roughly 6 million Black Americans located from the rural South to urban areas. — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 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