Synonyms of boorish

boorish

adjective

ˈbu̇r-ish 

as in loutish

having or showing crudely insensitive or impolite manners

boorish behavior, such as yelling for service in restaurants

Synonyms & Similar Words

• loutish
• uncouth
• classless
• churlish
• clownish
• stupid
• cloddish
• vulgar
• rude
• unsophisticated
• awkward
• unpolished
• coarse
• oafish
• tasteless
• discourteous
• doltish
• unrefined
• uncultivated
• ill-bred
• ungracious
• bestial
• impolite
• beastly
• unmannerly
• uncivil
• mannerless
• ungainly
• misleared

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sophisticated
• polished
• cultivated
• refined
• genteel
• gentlemanly
• classy
• well-bred
• courtly
• ladylike
• civil
• polite
• couth
• courteous

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective boorish differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of boorish are churlish, clownish, and loutish. While all these words mean "uncouth in manners or appearance," boorish implies rudeness of manner due to insensitiveness to others' feelings and unwillingness to be agreeable.

a drunk's boorish behavior

When might churlish be a better fit than boorish?

While the synonyms churlish and boorish are close in meaning, churlish suggests surliness, unresponsiveness, and ungraciousness.

churlish remarks

When is it sensible to use clownish instead of boorish?

In some situations, the words clownish and boorish 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

When could loutish be used to replace boorish?

The words loutish and boorish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, loutish implies bodily awkwardness together with stupidity.

a loutish oaf

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of boorish

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

Intention and accidents, theft and boorish behavior: it all gets folded into the myth-serving lore. —Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 19 May 2025

Final Destination 5 suffers from a pretty dull ensemble of future corpses (the most boorish include David Koechner and Rugrat from The Wolf of Wall Street), going through the same cycle of disbelief and dread the death-list targets always experience in these movies. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 19 May 2025

MacFarlane will continue to provide the voice of Ted — a teddy bear brought to life by a boy’s wish, now grown up and bearing the hallmarks of a boorish Seth MacFarlane character. —Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 9 May 2025