Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective churlish differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of churlish are boorish, clownish, and loutish. While all these words mean "uncouth in manners or appearance," churlish suggests surliness, unresponsiveness, and ungraciousness.

churlish remarks

When can boorish be used instead of churlish?

Although the words boorish and churlish have much in common, boorish implies rudeness of manner due to insensitiveness to others' feelings and unwillingness to be agreeable.

a drunk's boorish behavior

When might clownish be a better fit than churlish?

In some situations, the words clownish and churlish are roughly equivalent. However, clownish suggests ill-bred awkwardness, ignorance or stupidity, ungainliness, and often a propensity for absurd antics.

an adolescent's clownish conduct

In what contexts can loutish take the place of churlish?

The synonyms loutish and churlish are sometimes interchangeable, but loutish implies bodily awkwardness together with stupidity.

a loutish oaf

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of churlish The British series, which debuted in 2022, follows Oscar winner Gary Oldman’s churlish and disheveled Jackson Lamb as the leader of a team of disgraced and disowned MI5 agents scrappily and shabbily getting the job done. Trey Williams, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2024 Asked about these comments, and responding to them, Tiger himself was churlish. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 18 July 2024 Furthermore, Mody’s dismissal of India’s developmental gains in the three decades since liberalization comes across as churlish. Milan Vaishnav, Foreign Affairs, 14 Apr. 2023 And churlish is exactly how Trump wants to portray him. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 19 Jan. 2024 See All Example Sentences for churlish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for churlish
Adjective
  • His boorish behavior was condemned by others silently and did not affect the solemnity of the ceremony.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2025
  • While the boorish behavior of Twain’s shipmates is cataloged throughout (snapping off pieces of ancient monuments for souvenirs, for instance), his most flamboyant portrayal is a self-portrait.
    Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • This includes uncouth habits like bad hygiene, inconsiderate acts like being self-centered or a violation of social norms.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
  • Even at a cautious pace, the Escort feels raw and uncouth.
    Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • This was like loutish English tourists turning up unannounced and urinating in the holy water.
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • And Gandolfini, who died of a heart attack in 2013 at age 51, was the show’s tempestuous soul, playing a loutish killer with a quick temper and sad eyes.
    Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • This one is one person on the street obviously taking the soul of a protester who was stupid enough to go after some police officers.
    Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2025
  • The pair will make stupid decisions, and viewers will likely wonder: would a girl like Paula really do that for a mess like Sloane?
    Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • Orange cats, particularly tabbies like Butter, are known for their quirky and often clownish personalities.
    Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
  • Each shoe lifts you a full 1.5 inches off the ground, but the upper offers a low profile that keeps them from looking, well, clownish.
    Gabrielle Kassel, Glamour, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The rowdy responses of the classless crowd were intolerable.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2025
  • But, for not a single D to stand to applaud a boy's brave battle with cancer, or a man's admission to West Point, was a classless disgrace.
    Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Carry-on rules exist for a reason and deliberately ignoring the rules is both rude and inconsiderate to everyone else who is.
    Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
  • Matthews walked out of the home to talk to the suspect but returned to the house, saying Hoskins-Ellis said something rude to him.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • One of them, a graduate student named Hailey, who had the kind of vulgar beauty of fecundity, duly fell pregnant.
    Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025
  • Dem rep's vulgar demand to ICE officers leads to calls to expel her from Congress MAJOR HEADLINES 'NEVER SEEN HER' – AOC, progressives ripped for ignoring 'Red Light district' as prostitution, filthy streets return.
    , FOXNews.com, 9 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Churlish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churlish. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!