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as in miser
a mean grasping person who is usually stingy with money don't bother asking for donations at that house—the churl who lives there believes that charity begins and ends at home

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 churl But the cartoonish executive in Episode 1 will require a Grinch-like turnaround to become anything but a clownish churl. Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2022 The churl’s view. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 July 2021 Only a churl would lament the existence of these testaments to the out-of-nowhere potential of a great pop hit. Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for churl
Noun
  • Model Alex Consani wore that haute couture look, made up of an ivory silk faille circle cloak with an oversize ruff collar, a black gazar top, a cream peasant blouse, and bloomers, with a black felt and gold lamé headpiece and bright teal silk moiré sandals covered in pearls and studs.
    Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
  • In those intervening 35 years, China had moved 800 million rural peasants — living in extreme poverty on US$2 a day — into city apartments and integrated them into the global economy.
    Peter Leyden, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The classic Charles Dickens story has seen its fair share of retellings over the years with its tale of an elderly miser visited by the ghost of his former business partner and the spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come.
    Justin Kroll, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
  • But nobody should ride this bike, or its cousins, like a juice miser on a cargo run.
    Kevin Purdy, ArsTechnica, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Ricky develops romantic feelings for Chad even though Russ plays him as a soft-spoken, possibly dim rural hick who may well be a literal man-child.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Dig into Caribbean jerk chicken pizza at Blackstone Pub downtown or savor a few slices topped with spicy meatballs and peppadews served with a waterfront view at Little Bridge Marina’s Pizza Kitchen.
    Jennifer Stewart Kornegay, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Gave the two jerks her very best.
    Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • This guy might be single-handedly responsible for generations of people having an irrational fear of clowns.
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Unlike past attempts at fictionalizing his life, Macmanus barely touches on the fact that Gacy had a hobby of dressing up like a clown, and doesn’t show any actual murders in the series.
    Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Your mood and approach will have a big impact on your dog’s behavior.
    Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
  • The dog, who was unhurt, was reunited with its owners.
    Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Clifton loved motorcycles and, as Hawkins said, was a country bumpkin who loved nature.
    Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Ma and Pa Kent are the most stereotypical country bumpkins imaginable.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Churl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churl. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

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