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

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 By moving pollution from the cities to the countryside and green tech from domestic use to foreign sales, the country preserves its dependence on coal while leaving rural communities to bear the cost in health and treasure. Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025 New evacuation orders were issued Thursday, bringing the zone to 850 square miles, including the rural community of Huasna and Lopez Lake Recreation Area. Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2025 In a rural community like this, are new arrivals nearly always going to be seen as interlopers by locals? Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025 Her family owned a small grocery store in rural Tennessee, and young Morgan was known for hamming it up in the aisles. Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for rural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rural
Adjective
  • In a work as captivated with pastoral landscapes as the haunting glow of a tube TV, Vermette extracts possibility from every shot, down to crossfading that recalls the expressiveness of silent cinema.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
  • This walking safari follows ancient game trails and pastoral routes, still used by local communities, leading to remote areas otherwise unreachable by road.
    Emese Maczko, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Fellow country singer Luke Bryan is also returning as a judge, making Lionel Richie the only non-country artist in a prominent role on the show.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 4 Feb. 2025
  • To some, the look echoed what has been a big night for country music—especially for non-country musicians.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 5 Feb. 2024
Adjective
  • For the best experience, book one of 60 spots at the 100-year-old LeConte Lodge which features multi-room lodges and rustic cabins.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2025
  • The ambience is rustic and relaxed, without a whiff of the tension food done this well sometimes generates.
    Jeannette Cooperman, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • That's true even in bucolic settings like Taylor County, where small farms blend with the forest and wetlands.
    Rick Barrett, jsonline.com, 11 Aug. 2025
  • This remote, bucolic region—scattered with tiny villages and set to a soundtrack of tinkling bells of Montbéliarde cows—is the antithesis of Disneyfied wine country.
    Eleanor Aldridge, AFAR Media, 31 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rural. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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