as in hicks
an awkward or simple person especially from a small town or the country
rural voters were tired of being treated as rubes by state officials, who showed interest in them only at election time
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Recent Examples of rubes
Harry would be right to be bitter; Sally’s optimism was for rubes.
—
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubes
Noun
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And all the while, there’s always another rousing patriotic song for the peasants to sing.—
Will Tizard,
Variety,
2 Nov. 2025
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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
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Six Flags Magic Mountain will fill the summer, fall and winter seasons in 2026 with an entertaining mix of Superman and Harley Quinn, Oktoberfest beers and Bavarian pretzels, killer clowns and blood curdling screams and Santa Claus and faux snow.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
31 Dec. 2025
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There are articles about Frank Sinatra and Michael Jordan, royals and rock stars, cowboys and clowns.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Using his Hollywood makeup father’s prosthetics, Holliday transforms himself into hayseed-like Chad Powers.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Rubes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubes. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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