1
as in peasant
an awkward or simple person especially from a small town or the country
as far as he was concerned, anyone from outside the city was a backwater churl
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
3
as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
a churl who gets thrown out of parties with remarkable regularity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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
-
Between them sat a peasant with matted hair and a padded coat over his shoulders.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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The split widens when a labor strike becomes an armed revolt, with Jacir gamely tracking the hardening or shifting loyalties of both her peasant and well-to-do characters.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The more frugal sides are decried as misers or praised for their market savvy, no matter the surrounding factors.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Rather than just a simple miser, this movie portrays Scrooge as more of a ruthless businessman who believes he’s justified in his actions, making the character more relatable and redemptive.—
Janey Tracey,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
-
Dear Jay Norvell, try not to be a complete @#$&%# jerk.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
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Dishes like jerk chicken and rice and beans cooked in coconut milk reflect the region’s deep Jamaican and British colonial influences that are distinctive from other parts of Costa Rica.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When Feld Entertainment unveiled a new edition of the circus with much fanfare in 2023, the only animal in it was a mechanical robot dog and while there was some comedy, traditional circus clowns were not a part of it.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In Nuremberg,Göring is closer to a sad clown than to a monster.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Milton residents are voicing safety concerns in the Blue Hills Reservation after Massachusetts State Police say a man stabbed a dog that allegedly attacked him.—
Samantha Chaney,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Residents in Charlotte and unincorporated parts of Mecklenburg County are required to purchase a license for dogs and cats over 4 months old.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Simply put, the small-town bumpkins from North Florida who support this idea should be made to pay for it.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2026
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Clifton loved motorcycles and, as Hawkins said, was a country bumpkin who loved nature.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Part of his way of taking it yokel — besides bringing in Foo Fighter Rami Jaffee on accordion and Willie Aron blowing harmonica — was to add a previously unheard yodel to the chorus.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
27 Oct. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Churl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churl. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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