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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
  • Her character is a peasant who, around the midway mark, gives an inspiring speech to her granddaughter, Afra (Wardi Eilabuni).
    Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Slaves, serfs, peasants, and wage workers mostly understood that what was being struck was a hammer blow on their behalf.
    Jack Sheehan September 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But as the legend grew, so did the myths — such as that of Comiskey being a miser, forcing his players to seek compensation through gamblers.
    Ronald Blum, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
  • The power miser of chatbots will, if anything, drive more AI adoption overall.
    Brett Owens, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Without so many of the fears, complexes, and prejudices hick shaped us in the ‘90s and the ‘00s.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 20 June 2025
  • 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
  • Cianfrance supplies a real jerk of a manager in Peter Dinklage’s Mitch, on whom Jeffrey spies by setting up baby monitors in the back office.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Imagine smoky jerk chicken cooked to perfection on an open-flame at a roadside shack, beckoning you to stop by for a mouthwatering bite.
    Martie Bowser, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Nothing sends chills down your spine like evil clowns, undead monsters and a filthy car.
    Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Someone should be impeaching this Laporta clown.
    Pol Ballus, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Robotic dogs and militant imagery stand in for violence and human invention turned destructive.
    David Hochman, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • In Toledo, a misread contributed to a Black man being mauled by a police K-9 dog after a traffic stop.
    Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Ma and Pa Kent are the most stereotypical country bumpkins imaginable.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • 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
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 15 Sep. 2025.

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