rural

1 of 2

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

rurality

2 of 2

noun

ru·​ral·​i·​ty ru̇ˈralətē 

plural -es

: ruralism : a rural place

Synonyms of rural

Adjective

• pastoral
• country
• rustic
• bucolic

Examples of rural in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

Despite his setting in that rural corner of New England, a two-hour drive north of New York City, the World Cup would not pass him by. — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Many people across the state, including suburban and rural Texans, are unhappy about data centers, particularly AI data centers. — Jack Fink, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026

In recent years, the Army shifted more of its recruiting effort into large Democratic-leaning cities after traditional recruiting strongholds in the South, rural America and the suburbs could no longer produce enough qualified volunteers. — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

After a 10-year time jump from the main events in Sunday’s premiere, the veteran Green Lantern played by Kyle Chandler is sitting alone in the snowy stands of a rural high school football field — dead. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin ruralis, from rur-, rus open land

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1611, 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