uncouth
adjective
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History of Uncouth: From Unfamiliar to Outlandish
Uncouth comes from Old English cūth, meaning "familiar" or "known," prefixed by un-, giving the meaning "unfamiliar." How did a word that meant "unfamiliar" come to mean "outlandish," "rugged," or "rude"? Some examples from literature illustrate that the transition happened quite naturally. In Captain Singleton, Daniel Defoe refers to "a strange noise more uncouth than any they had ever heard." In William Shakespeare's As You Like It, Orlando tells Adam, "If this uncouth forest yield anything savage, I will either be food for it or bring it for food to thee." In Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane fears "to look over his shoulder, lest he should behold some uncouth being tramping close behind him!" So, that which is unfamiliar is often perceived as strange, wild, or unpleasant. Meanings such as "outlandish," "rugged," or "rude" naturally follow.
Synonyms
- boorish
- churlish
- classless
- cloddish
- clownish
- loutish
Example Sentences
Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 In a sense, your heightened reward inadvertently shines a light on your AI and prods a slew of uncouth moths to correspondingly be perniciously attracted to the glowing light beam. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 July 2022 Where her husband was brash and often uncouth, Ms. Trump came across to the city’s moneyed elite as charming and sophisticated, opening doors to rarefied social circles that Mr. Trump could then barrel through. New York Times, 14 July 2022 The Tronsmart Onyx Ace Pro earbuds are amazing value for money and produce a sound that’s big and bold but never uncouth or unruly. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 4 June 2022 When it was published, in 1949, his level of disclosure was still considered uncouth, and Gunther knew it. Andrew Aoyama, The Atlantic, 3 June 2022 At the very least, this tweet is uncouth by business standards. Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 13 May 2022 Mahershala Ali plays a Black pianist touring the Jim Crow South and Viggo Mortensen is his uncouth driver in a feel-good film about race relations with a whitewashed perspective. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2022 While many of Silicon Valley’s wealthy would distance themselves from this uncouth Trumpy identification with fossil fuels, Andreessen is a good example of how petromasculinity can operate in a white-collar context, as well. Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 11 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Middle English, from Old English uncūth, from un- + cūth familiar, known; akin to Old High German kund known, Old English can know — more at can entry 1
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Kids Definition
uncouth
adjective
uncouth
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- boorish
- loutish
- churlish
- clownish
- classless
- stupid
- cloddish
- vulgar
- rude
- unsophisticated
- unpolished
- unrefined
- awkward
- impolite
- beastly
- unmannerly
- ill-bred
- coarse
- bestial
- discourteous
- oafish
- uncultivated
- tasteless
- mannerless
- doltish
- ungracious
- uncivil
- ungainly
- misleared
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sophisticated
- genteel
- polished
- couth
- refined
- gentlemanly
- courtly
- cultivated
- well-bred
- classy
- polite
- civil
- courteous
- ladylike
Synonyms & Similar Words
- crass
- vulgar
- rude
- crude
- coarse
- common
- uncultured
- gross
- rough
- clumsy
- unrefined
- unpolished
- tasteless
- ill-bred
- raffish
- rugged
- uncultivated
- lowbrow
- boorish
- illiberal
- roughneck
- low
- ungentlemanly
- loutish
- insensible
- churlish
- clownish
- indelicate
- rough-hewn
- oafish
- thoughtless
- inconsiderate
- uncivilized
- unsophisticated
- cloddish
- incult
- lubberly
- rustic
- insensitive
- unmannerly
- lumpish
- lowbred
- barbaric
- barbarous
- unmannered
- mannerless
- inelegant
- countrified
- graceless
- tacky
- provincial
- rustical
- animallike
- countryfied
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- civilized
- genteel
- cultured
- smooth
- aristocratic
- polished
- courtly
- refined
- patrician
- tasteful
- cultivated
- well-bred
- elegant
- graceful
- restrained
- sensitive
- gracious
- considerate
- thoughtful
- sophisticated
- ultrarefined
- urbane
- citified