churl
noun
Synonyms
- bumpkin
- chawbacon
- clodhopper
- cornball
- countryman
- hayseed
- hick
- provincial
- rube
- rustic
- yokel
Example Sentences
Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2022 Only a churl would lament the existence of these testaments to the out-of-nowhere potential of a great pop hit. Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2021 Word History
Middle English cherl "non-noble person (whether free or bound), ill-bred person, boor, fellow," going back to Old English ceorl "male person, man, married man, countryman, member of the lowest class of freemen," going back to Germanic *kerla- "man, freeman" (whence also Old Frisian tzerl, tzirl, kerl "man, servant," Middle Dutch kerel, kerl "freeman below the rank of knight"), with a by-form *karla- (whence Old High German karl, charel "man, husband," Old Norse karl "man, commoner, old man"), of uncertain origin
Note: Compared with Tocharian B śrāy "adult male (?)" (the stem śrān- is apparently secondary; see D. Adams, A Dictionary of Tocharian B, Rodopi, 2013, p. 705) and further to Indo-European *ǵerh2- "become old, ripen" (whence Greek gérōn "old man," Sanskrit jarant-, járan "old, decayed"—see geriatric entry 1). Guus Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Brill, 2013) reconstructs a proto-paradigm for the Germanic noun with a suffixal -l- and root ablaut e-ø-o; however, even if parallels for such a formation exist, an etymon "old man, elder" is a questionable starting point for the attested senses "man, low-ranking freeman," etc. The Medieval Latin name Carolus, associated with Charles Martel and later Carolingian rulers, has traditionally been identified with Germanic *karla-, though some see it as a Latinization of a Germanic name *hari-ol- (but cf. Cearl, name of an early Mercian king mentioned by Bede).
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
churls
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- peasants
- rustics
- hicks
- yokels
- bumpkins
- hayseeds
- provincials
- clowns
- rubes
- countrymen
- hayseed
- mountaineers
- clodhoppers
- boors
- cornballs
- peons
- gawks
- louts
- greenhorns
- oafs
- clods
- chawbacons
- tenderfeet
- backwoodsmen
- tenderfoots
- peones
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sophisticates
- cosmopolitans
- suburbanites
- cosmopolites
- slickers
- urbanites
- smoothies
- metropolitans
Synonyms & Similar Words
- misers
- hunks
- skinflints
- pikers
- scrooges
- tightwads
- cheapskates
- penny-pinchers
- niggards
- savers
- hoarders
- pack rats
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- wastrels
- spendthrifts
- wasters
- spenders
- profligates
- prodigals
- squanderers
Synonyms & Similar Words
- jerks
- bastards
- dogs
- clowns
- skunks
- jokers
- brutes
- bounders
- swine
- skunk
- boors
- creeps
- idiots
- brats
- morons
- rotters
- cads
- beasts
- vermin
- villains
- louts
- cretins
- buggers
- barbarians
- rats
- toads
- curs
- snakes
- scums
- varmints
- sods
- reptiles
- louses
- stinkers
- blighters
- scumbags
- heels
- dirtbags
- fools
- bleeders
- schmucks
- finks
- hounds
- pills
- buzzards
- cruds
- slimeballs
- savages
- nuisances
- slimes
- stinkards
- scoundrels
- vulgarians
- sons of guns
- sleazes
- chuffs
- wretches
- scuzzballs
- nerds
- so-and-sos
- sleazeballs
- slobs
- sleazebags
- crumbs
- rascals
- rogues
- loudmouths
- roughnecks
- rat finks
- blockheads
- lowlifes
- scamps
- nuts
- imbeciles
- dolts
- dopes
- nincompoops
- cavemen
- lowlives
- miscreants
- so-and-so's
- scabs
- ninnies
- snobs
- airheads
- boobies
- snots
- goons
- jackasses
- dweebs
- doofuses
- dorks
- dinks
- turkeys
- nitwits
- dufuses
- schmoes
- pests
- half-wits
- nits
- Neanderthals
- snoots
- snips
- birdbrains
- insolents
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- heroes
- gentlemen
- ladies
- heroines
- idols
- saints
- angels
- role models