as in pastoral
of, relating to, associated with, or typical of open areas with few buildings or people
grew up in a rural community where more than half the people were farmers a painter noted for his rural landscapes
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rural
Nick Ramsden, a farmer from Pretoria, South Africa, spent a long Thursday in July driving an eighteen-wheeler along a three-mile loop at the Nelson-King Farms, in rural Mississippi.
—
Boyce Upholt, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
Dotted with small towns, its sprawling countryside is home to rural communities, conservative faith groups and a sizable Slavic immigrant population.
—Maria Godoy, NPR, 14 Mar. 2026
The report, published on Thursday, does not include nonprofit electric providers such as municipal utilities or rural electric cooperatives.
—Kevin Hardy, Baltimore Sun, 14 Mar. 2026
Raised in problematic rural midwestern circumstances, enduring too many changes of home and school, rejected by a homophobic father.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rural
Boyce Upholt, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
Dotted with small towns, its sprawling countryside is home to rural communities, conservative faith groups and a sizable Slavic immigrant population.
—Maria Godoy, NPR, 14 Mar. 2026
The report, published on Thursday, does not include nonprofit electric providers such as municipal utilities or rural electric cooperatives.
—Kevin Hardy, Baltimore Sun, 14 Mar. 2026
Raised in problematic rural midwestern circumstances, enduring too many changes of home and school, rejected by a homophobic father.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rural
Adjective
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Last year, Morris pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child, and Schott’s pastoral lineage became something of a liability.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
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His religious training comes from Christian institutions, including a master of divinity from Azusa Pacific University, an evangelical Christian university, and graduate studies in pastoral counseling at Southern California Seminary.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The expansion broadens the company’s country coverage and operational capacity, reflecting a shift away from step-by-step market entry toward multi-country team building.—
Kaitlyn Gomez,
Sacbee.com,
3 Mar. 2026
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Signs of a shift were apparent when Iam Tongi, a young reggae talent from Hawaii, and proud Mormon, became Idol’s first non-country winner in three years.—
Zach Schonfeld,
Rolling Stone,
25 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Cut into individual pieces or break into rustic shards.—
Marianne Williams,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
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The main living room is a more formal space, crowned by a soaring tray ceiling, while the family room—paneled in pecky cypress—offers a slightly more rustic feel.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Give me homey and bucolic; a lazy Susan under the counter and a skirted cabinet.—
Francesca Krempa,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
11 Mar. 2026
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Although most of the towns and villages around them are under de-facto Hezbollah control, Qlayaa — like other Christian, Sunni Muslim and Druze communities dotting the bucolic hills of Lebanon’s south — had taken a resolutely neutral position.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rural. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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