Rural places are far away from large towns or cities.
These plants have a tendency to grow in the more rural areas.
...the closure of rural schools.
Synonyms: agricultural, country, farming, agrarian More Synonyms of rural
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Rural means having features which are typical of areas that are far away from large towns or cities.
...the old rural way of life.
He spoke with a heavy rural accent.
Synonyms: rustic, country, hick [informal, mainly US, Canadian], pastoral More Synonyms of rural
rural in British English
(ˈrʊərəl)
adjective
1.
of, relating to, or characteristic of the country or country life
2.
living in or accustomed to the country
3.
of, relating to, or associated with farming
Compare urban
Derived forms
ruralism (ˈruralism)
noun
ruralist (ˈruralist)
noun
rurality (ruˈrality)
noun
rurally (ˈrurally)
adverb
Word origin
C15: via Old French from Latin rūrālis, from rūs the country
rural in American English
(ˈrʊrəl)
adjective
1.
of or characteristic of the country, country life, or country people; rustic
2.
living in the country
3.
having to do with farming; agricultural
SYNONYMY NOTE: rural is the comprehensive, nonspecific word referring to life on the farm or in the countryas distinguished from life in the city [rural schools]; rustic stresses the contrast between the supposed crudeness and unsophistication of thecountry and the polish and refinement of the city [rustic humor]; pastoral suggests the highly idealized primitive simplicity of rural life, originally amongshepherds; , bucolic, in contrast, suggests a down-to-earth rustic simplicity or artlessness [her bucolic suitor]
OPPOSITE: urban
Derived forms
rurally (ˈrurally)
adverb
Word origin
ME < MFr < LL ruralis < L rus (gen. ruris), the country < IE *rewos, space < base *rewe-, to open, room
Examples of 'rural' in a sentence
rural
One of the issues in rural areas is commute time.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is in talks with public sector organisations to reach rural areas.
Computing (2010)
In rural areas this may be less effective.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Rural areas were more prosperous on their broader measure, despite being on average less wealthy.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Chiefs in Devon are pleading with volunteers to group together and fill in holes in rural areas.
The Sun (2016)
The threat was as equal in urban areas as rural ones, where creatures thrive in woods and long grass.
The Sun (2016)
The research showed that homes in rural areas cost a fifth more than properties in towns and cities outside of London.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Or it can be used to compare different areas, such as the difference in fire statistics between urban and rural areas.
Computing (2010)
In many pockets of rural Europe, life went on much as it always had.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is a poor, rural area and is already housing more than 700,000 people displaced by fighting in other regions.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They are mostly about the rural poor sometime in the early twentieth century.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
There was a dark side to this rural idyll.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The village should be left for rural life.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
What controls can be exerted over undesirable urban uses of rural sites?
Cloke, Paul J (ed) Rural Land-Use Planning in Developed Nations (1989)
My first attempt at taking the test in a rural area was unsuccessful.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The rural poor of the world are flocking to the cities.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
For these soldiers the unexpected journey from rural idyll to battlefield desolation was anything but fantasy.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The only sure way to a life of rural bliss?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It has meant we have had an urban and a rural life.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His criticism is included in his annual audit of government policy and its impact on rural areas.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The remainder was the rural and generally poor peasantry.
Jack Turner SPICE: The History of a Temptation (2004)
Studies on tempo suggest that urban areas have a faster pace of life than rural places.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But how does this economic boom affect the rural poor?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Rural life is in a fight for survival.
Christianity Today (2000)
But the village is still at the heart of rural life.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
Yes, there are pockets of poverty in the rural idyll.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It also explains the growing rift between rural and urban Americans.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We disenfranchised viewers could then help to fund the roll out of fibre-optic lines to rural areas.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
No one realised how hostile the locals in this English rural idyll would be.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The bodies of the three men were discovered in a rural area of Cambridgeshire.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Both are poor and rural, he says.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It's almost too much of a rural idyll.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Police in rural areas often turn a blind eye to such incidents, dismissing them as family matters.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The urban meets the rural.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Fees depend on a number of factors, including local employment conditions and whether the round is in a rural or urban area.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
rural
British English: rural /ˈrʊərəl/ ADJECTIVE
Rural means relating to country areas as opposed to large towns.
...the closure of rural schools.
American English: rural
Arabic: رِيفِيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: rural
Chinese: 乡村的
Croatian: ruralan
Czech: venkovský
Danish: landlig
Dutch: landelijk
European Spanish: rural
Finnish: maaseudun
French: rural
German: ländlich
Greek: αγροτικός
Italian: rurale
Japanese: 田舎の
Korean: 시골의
Norwegian: landlig
Polish: wiejski
European Portuguese: rural
Romanian: rural
Russian: сельский
Latin American Spanish: rural
Swedish: lantlig
Thai: ในชนบท
Turkish: kırsal
Ukrainian: сільський
Vietnamese: nông thôn
All related terms of 'rural'
rural dean
a cleric having authority over a group of parishes
rural route
a mail delivery route in a rural area
rural church
A church is a building in which Christians worship . You usually refer to this place as church when you are talking about the time that people spend there.
rural economy
An economy is the system according to which the money, industry , and trade of a country or region are organized .
rural science
the study and theory of agriculture , biology , ecology , and associated fields
rural setting
A particular setting is a particular place or type of surroundings where something is or takes place.
rural delivery
a mail service in a country area, often run by contractors for the Post Office
rural district
(in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974 and Northern Ireland from 1898 to 1973) a rural division of a county
rural location
A location is the place where something happens or is situated.
rural planning
social or economic activities or initiatives designed to improve the standard of living in areas far away from large towns or cities
rural development
social or economic activities or initiatives designed to improve the standard of living in areas far away from large towns or cities
rural population
The population of a country or area is all the people who live in it.
rural district council
(in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974 and Northern Ireland from 1898 to 1973) a group of people elected to govern a rural division of a county
Chinese translation of 'rural'
rural
(ˈruərl)
adj
[area, accent]乡(鄉)村的 (xiāngcūn de)
[economy, problems]农(農)村的 (nóngcūn de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
in or of the countryside
These plants grow in the more rural areas.
Synonyms
agricultural
traditional agricultural societies
country
farming
agrarian
a highly developed agrarian economy
upcountry
agrestic
2 (adjective)
the old rural way of life
Synonyms
rustic
the rustic charms of a country lifestyle
country
I want to live a simple country life.
hick (informal, mainly US, Canadian)
pastoral
a tranquil pastoral scene
bucolic
the bucolic surroundings of Chantilly
sylvan
Arcadian
countrified
The house was very handsome, with a lovely countrified garden.
Opposites
city
,
town
,
urban
,
cosmopolitan
Additional synonyms
in the sense of agrarian
Definition
of or relating to land or agriculture
a highly developed agrarian economy
Synonyms
agricultural,
country,
land,
farming,
rural,
rustic,
agrestic
in the sense of bucolic
Definition
of or relating to shepherds
the bucolic surroundings of Chantilly
Synonyms
rustic,
country,
rural,
agricultural,
pastoral,
agrarian,
agrestic
in the sense of countrified
Definition
having an appearance or manner associated with the countryside rather than a town
The house was very handsome, with a lovely countrified garden.