rural

adjective

ru·​ral ˈru̇r(-ə)l How to pronounce rural (audio)
ˈrər(-ə)l
: of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture
rurality noun
rurally adverb

Examples of rural in a Sentence

She lives in a rural area. grew up in a rural community where more than half the people were farmers
Recent Examples on the Web Cute roadside farm animals just enhance the rural foliage experience. David Lyon, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2023 Water had to be brought in via trucks because there are no hydrants in the rural area, officials said. oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2023 Courtesy of Sarah Mueller Park is referring to the increasingly severe phenomenon of urban areas getting way, way hotter than surrounding rural ones. WIRED, 15 Sep. 2023 These include rural residents and those who are uninsured, transgender people, or injection drug users. Michelle Andrews, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2023 In his home state, in the small towns and rural areas that define much of Texas, he was seen as an outsider. Luisita Lopez Torregrosa, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023 The story revolves around a young waitress working the late shift alone at a rural roadside diner. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Sep. 2023 In rural Colorado, Riley Black visits a fossil reconstruction studio overflowing with bones made not of sediment tens of millions of years old but of modern materials like polyurethane resin. Annie Colbert, Popular Science, 13 Sep. 2023 In rural Arizona, groundwater is largely unregulated; whoever has the money can drill a well and lay claim to the water. Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rural.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin ruralis, from rur-, rus open land — more at room

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rural was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near rural

Cite this Entry

“Rural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rural. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

rural

adjective
ru·​ral ˈru̇r-əl How to pronounce rural (audio)
: of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture

More from Merriam-Webster on rural

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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