rural

adjective

ru·​ral ˈru̇r(-ə)l 

ˈrər(-ə)l

: of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture

rurality

ru̇-ˈra-lə-tē 

noun

rurally

ˈru̇r-ə-lē 

ˈrər-

adverb

Synonyms of rural

• pastoral
• country
• rustic
• bucolic

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

Planned in the sweeping open pasturelands of rural Colusa County, near the town of Maxwell, if completed Sites would be the largest new reservoir built in California since 1979, when the federal government opened New Melones Lake in the Sierra Foothills between Sonora and Angels Camp. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026

As a bonus, the Perseid meteor shower peaks the same night, making staying overnight in a rural setting a good idea. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

Animal advocates are racing to rescue more than 200 dogs from a rural Mississippi property before a massive winter storm is forecast to hit Friday. —CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026

LaMalfa, a conservative stalwart who fought political battles for the interests of his north state constituents, served more than 20 years in state and federal politics representing a vast, red and rural district in a primarily blue state. —Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026

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

Phrases Containing rural

• rural dean
• rural free delivery
• rural route

Rhymes for rural

• crural
• dural
• jural
• mural
• neural
• pleural
• plural
• extramural
• intramural
• intrapleural
• figural
• flexural

Kids Definition

rural

adjective

ru·​ral ˈru̇r-əl 

: of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture