Definition of boorishnext

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

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 boorish Kimmel, like Stephen Colbert, went from acting as boorish right-wing caricatures to playing themselves — that is, liberals who dislike Trump and support vaccines. David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025 Depicting Americans as arrogant, loud, boorish and demeaning of other cultures, the term has stuck and is still mentioned 60-plus years later. Jenny Peters, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025 Lownie’s book chronicles other pretty outrageous, boorish behavior by Andrew, both in the company of his pedophile friend, the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, and on his own. Martha Ross, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for boorish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boorish
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
  • An evening revue of wild, uncouth performance art by local artists, emphasizing work that is often discouraged elsewhere.
    Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 29 Jan. 2026
  • The series offers Whitford his latest opportunity to express general bemusement with the American political process, this time sporting a bushy white beard, and Whigham his latest opportunity to be an uncouth bull in an otherwise genteel china shop.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Communism, in its traditional definition, describes a system in which private property is abolished and the means of production are collectively owned, with the goal of creating a classless society.
    Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Louis Hartz maintained that the hegemony of liberal thought, with its vaunting of the classless individual, made Marxists politically superfluous.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Assuming this is something beyond Trumpian posturing, and that’s unclear, any such decision would not only be churlish and cruel but poorly targeted.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Kay hasn’t acted since before Marty was born, and Marty never breaks character — they were made for a churlish May-December affair that unlocks something in them both.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
  • Both McAdams and O’Brien play with their movie star personae but move beyond those expectations to deliver highly expressive, almost clownish performances — in the best way.
    Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Both McAdams and O’Brien move beyond expectations to deliver highly expressive, almost clownish performances — in the best way.
    Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • But maybe Johnson isn’t stupid.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Such as the one where the candidate remarked that some white rural Americans were stupid and racist.
    Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • When authorities asked King to remove the breast banner as vulgar, King taped over the nipples with stars made of tape or Magic Marker.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Sarah, the former Duchess of York, also sent emails to Epstein which included a vulgar mention of Eugenie, who had not yet turned 20 at the time, People reported.
    Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 3 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Boorish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boorish. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.

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