as in hick
an awkward or simple person especially from a small town or the country
the bumpkin was overwhelmed by the city's confusing subway system
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Recent Examples of bumpkin
Going to the Ron Burgundy–Ricky Bobby idiot well one time too many, Ferrell plays Cam Brady, a lazy, cynical longtime congressman running against a local bumpkin (Galifianakis).
—
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
Carter, perhaps the most decent man to ever occupy the Oval Office, was long written off as a country bumpkin, one who perhaps unsurprisingly left office as a one-term anomaly.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 9 Jan. 2025
Emily in Paris On Location: Hotel Plaza Athénée Paris
Rediscover Paris as Chicago bumpkin Emily (played by Lily Collins) moves there for a job and takes you to places like Galeries Lafayette, Galerie-Musee Baccarat and Hotel Plaza Athénée Paris.
—Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes, 14 Sep. 2024
At their worst, these histories, like the Soviet one, reduce Ukrainians to lazy, irresponsible, prejudiced country bumpkins with exaggerated penchants for vodka and violence.
—Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2016
There are no bumpkins in Hamaguchi’s movie, either—no one who can be reduced to a small-town, salt-of-the-earth cliché.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
Working in a glass tower and living in the big city may still be the dream for a bumpkin like Jianlin, but China’s young urbans are starting to head in the opposite direction and seeking more comfortable lifestyles in the countryside.
—Mohamed El Aassar, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024
But there’s a bitter and violent tone of hatred here that’s more reminiscent of 70s thrillers like Straw Dogs or Deliverance, where backwards country bumpkins take out their grievances on innocent newcomers.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 July 2023
These skirts are chic, fresh and modern, rather than stuffy or country bumpkin.
—Laura Fenton, Washington Post, 13 June 2023
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
Carter, perhaps the most decent man to ever occupy the Oval Office, was long written off as a country bumpkin, one who perhaps unsurprisingly left office as a one-term anomaly.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 9 Jan. 2025
Emily in Paris On Location: Hotel Plaza Athénée Paris
Rediscover Paris as Chicago bumpkin Emily (played by Lily Collins) moves there for a job and takes you to places like Galeries Lafayette, Galerie-Musee Baccarat and Hotel Plaza Athénée Paris.
—Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes, 14 Sep. 2024
At their worst, these histories, like the Soviet one, reduce Ukrainians to lazy, irresponsible, prejudiced country bumpkins with exaggerated penchants for vodka and violence.
—Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2016
There are no bumpkins in Hamaguchi’s movie, either—no one who can be reduced to a small-town, salt-of-the-earth cliché.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
Working in a glass tower and living in the big city may still be the dream for a bumpkin like Jianlin, but China’s young urbans are starting to head in the opposite direction and seeking more comfortable lifestyles in the countryside.
—Mohamed El Aassar, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024
But there’s a bitter and violent tone of hatred here that’s more reminiscent of 70s thrillers like Straw Dogs or Deliverance, where backwards country bumpkins take out their grievances on innocent newcomers.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 July 2023
These skirts are chic, fresh and modern, rather than stuffy or country bumpkin.
—Laura Fenton, Washington Post, 13 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bumpkin
Noun
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Without so many of the fears, complexes, and prejudices hick shaped us in the ‘90s and the ‘00s.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
20 June 2025
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Sorrentino may also be exorcising some conflicting feelings about his birthplace, which is portrayed as a vulgar, crude place populated by crooks and hicks and photographed like its paradise.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Once known to be a peasant’s dish, according to one story, the addition of feta in the 1960s really put it on the proverbial map.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
19 June 2025
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Exacerbating the widespread unrest was the royal family’s close relationship with Grigori Rasputin, a Siberian peasant who claimed to wield control over the health of Alexei, the czar’s only son.—
Meilan Solly,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 June 2025
Noun
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There was no quintessential American, so Twain imagined him: a wily rube, cynical toward the same refinements of Europe that inspired awe in him.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2025
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The rubes in the trad lobby have been snookered—though their final betrayal is yet to come.—
Ian Volner,
Artforum,
28 May 2025
Noun
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It was adapted into a huge hit movie starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray, but the breakout characters were local yokels Ma and Pa Kettle, who went on to star in eight spinoff movies.—
Brian Boone,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
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To the yokel who makes his donations in cash and is proud of himself for knowing what LEO stands for.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 June 2025
Noun
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Baby Billy’s first full-frontal scene is more a testament to Walton Goggins’s incredible hayseed bravado in the rule.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Mantle was the voluble hayseed from Oklahoma who could hit anything but was corrupted by the big city, and wound up undone by alcohol and knee injuries.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
21 June 2024
Noun
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Sanders is a Catholic priest and former Augustinian provincial in California and lives in the Augustinian community in North Park.—
Gary Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2025
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Not long after his ordination, he was named the Jesuit provincial for Argentina, which put him in charge of the order’s activities throughout the country.—
Carlos De Loera,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Also, this was not a good week for billionaires as a socialist Muslim won a long-shot victory in the NYC Democratic primary, partly on the promise to raise taxes among the highest income earners, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos starred in a clown show wedding in Venice.—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
28 June 2025
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Ayanna Pressley, another blow-in-drifter (from Chicago), pole vaulted from the City Council clown show to the U.S. House.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2025
Noun
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The inn has accommodations for both smaller groups and larger gatherings, all of which have the same modern rustic meets minimalist style.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
28 June 2025
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This marble top table from Laurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse has the same rustic, yet modern design with its sleek top and wood base with an antique finish.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bumpkin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bumpkin. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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