Definition of ruralnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 rural The terms of 8-30g sharply limit the reasons the affluent suburbs and rural towns can use to justify rejecting affordable housing proposals. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026 Powerful winds and reported tornadoes ripped through the Midwest, tearing off roofs, uprooting trees and rendering rural roads impassable, but no deaths were reported from Friday’s storms. Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026 There is the Northeastern Health System with a new $400 million addition which will be part of a gleaming campus that is the envy of rural communities everywhere. Keith Sharon, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026 For weeks, rural Hungary has been plastered with posters warning that Magyar and Zelensky are dangerous. Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rural
Adjective
  • Set in a pastoral Kenyan village, Star’s battle for her identity puts her at odds with her community.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
  • From the pastoral hills of Appenzell to the medieval alleyways of the Jura, a new generation of boutique hotels is redefining the way wellness obsessives are traveling to Switzerland.
    Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The multi-country co-production involving Rhayuela Films, El Sol Ermitaño (Colombia), Dublin Films (France), Potenza Producciones (Spain) and Camera Oscura (Canada) shot in the Colombian cities of Medellín and Santa Marta in November and December last year.
    Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Adjective
  • The wood doors with rustic hinges and handles matched the stone base to a tee.
    Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2026
  • The 282-acre resort blends into its rustic surroundings, with accommodations providing Hill Country views.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • A lot of the film’s leisurely old-world sensibility comes from its bucolic Connecticut locations.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Captive in bucolic panopticons, their lives are at once aesthetically alluring, depressingly regressive and anthropologically fascinating.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rural. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.

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