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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rural
During the coronavirus pandemic, Sarah watched policies that seemed designed for urbanites arrive in her rural town without the consent of residents or evidence of their local efficacy.
—
Scott Warren, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026
Christopher Columbus made his name over 500 years ago, but a new crop of Europeans is discovering America during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, posting rave reviews of comfort food and rural hospitality on social media.
—Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
One ad focuses on comments Platner allegedly made about rural Mainers and law enforcement.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2026
Families in rural areas are struggling.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for rural
Scott Warren, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026
Christopher Columbus made his name over 500 years ago, but a new crop of Europeans is discovering America during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, posting rave reviews of comfort food and rural hospitality on social media.
—Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
One ad focuses on comments Platner allegedly made about rural Mainers and law enforcement.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2026
Families in rural areas are struggling.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for rural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rural
Adjective
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Messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to advance a constitutional amendment that would tighten the denomination's restrictions on women in pastoral roles.—
WTVC Staff,
Baltimore Sun,
11 June 2026
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The exhibit explores what Montauk was like during the British occupation, when the property served as a homestead for those concerned with the area’s livestock management and pastoral farming.—
Catherine Sabino,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Trust is the foundation As Bailey spoke, the CDC was simultaneously responding to a multi-country hantavirus cluster traced to a cruise ship and a new Ebola outbreak — exactly the kind of simultaneous, high-stakes crises the agency’s reformed infrastructure was designed to handle.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
3 June 2026
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The efforts are part of a multi-country response and preparedness plan that also covers Uganda, South Sudan and other neighboring countries.—
Maryanne Murray Buechner,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Decades later, driving the route still retains an air of midcentury Americana, with rustic, throwback park lodging like the Skyland Resort and Big Meadows Lodge.—
Madeline Weinfield,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Dec. 2025
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Drawing back violin and cello bows like arrows, the New Eves forge their righteousness into primal rage on The New Eve Is Rising in a flurry of post-punk and rustic folk.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
3 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Red-Bodied Dog Tick Has your idiotic dog wandered onto a bucolic patch of grass that hasn’t been freshly treated with toxins?—
Jay Ruttenberg,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
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At Palisades State Park, striking red-pink Sioux quartzite cliffs jut up to 50 feet above Split Rock Creek, their jagged faces almost glowing against a backdrop of bucolic farmland.—
Taryn Shorr-Mckee,
Midwest Living,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rural. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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