as in bumpkin
an awkward or simple person especially from a small town or the country
city dwellers who looked down on their cousins from northern Maine as hicks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in hickish
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unsophisticated
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 hick
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 June 2024
While waiting to be treated, Lauren complains of Braxton hicks.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 10 May 2024
Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2021
Rimac moved to Germany at age 2 and then to an independent Croatia in his early teens, where he was teased for his hick Bosnian accent.
—Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for hick
Noun
Roxxxy, who is from Florida, rightly notes that Floridian redneck is not the stereotypical hick that Vanjie and Angie went with, but then doesn’t stand on business when Vanjie overhears.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 7 June 2024
While waiting to be treated, Lauren complains of Braxton hicks.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 10 May 2024
Adjective
One is a sick herb; the other is a hick Serb.
—Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2021
Rimac moved to Germany at age 2 and then to an independent Croatia in his early teens, where he was teased for his hick Bosnian accent.
—Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for hick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hick
Noun
-
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
Adjective
-
Thus even relatively unsophisticated cybercriminals can access the latest tools to commit their crimes.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
-
During arguments on Wednesday, Megan Savard — attorney for Carter Hart — said that Howden was an unsophisticated, inarticulate witness who didn’t even dress properly for court.—
Dan Robson,
New York Times,
22 May 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
Adjective
-
Throughout her life, Baez—now 84—has stayed true to her folksy-casual style.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
16 Jan. 2025
-
The decor was folksy and colorful, with the brief for the flowers by Wild Gorse being unstructured ’70s.—
Rebecca Cope,
Vogue,
10 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
The new title exemplifies one of Perry’s favorite moves, which is to present reactionary conservatism as simple common sense.—
Jia Tolentino,
New Yorker,
23 June 2025
-
The team leaders and coaches have cautioned against being reactionary, encouraging small adjustments rather than major ones.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
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
Adjective
-
Elsewhere in the episode, Sheffield proposes that Swift consider a countrified and/or solo acoustic re-record of Reputation, while Spanos predicts that the new version of the debut will drop for its 20th anniversary next year.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2025
-
On his most countrified fare, he’s also made a conscious effort to tip the balance from the barroom to the bedroom.—
Nancy Kruh,
People.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
The rubes in the trad lobby have been snookered—though their final betrayal is yet to come.—
Ian Volner,
Artforum,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hick. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share