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

Only last week, 94-year-old Martin Gordon emailed to tell me how his local priest, in rural Ireland, told him the news. —Andy Mitten, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026

An aging population and declining birth rate are existential issues in Italy, but emigration further stretches the ratio in rural areas like this. —Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 6 Feb. 2026

Hafez al-Assad was a dictator in the classic mold, a shrewd and strong-willed man who rose from rural poverty through the military and seized power in a 1970 coup. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026

That merger opens the door for 1A District 2, which currently has only Orlando Christian Prep and Father Lopez of Daytona Beach, to potentially add former rural schools like Wildwood, a small public school, to that district. —Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 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
• 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