boor

[ boor ]

noun

1. a churlish, rude, or unmannerly person.

   Synonyms: vulgarian, philistine, churl, boob, oaf, lout

2. a country bumpkin; rustic; yokel.
3. peasant.
4. Boer.

boor

/ bʊə /

noun

1. an ill-mannered, clumsy, or insensitive person

Word History and Origins

Origin of boor¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Dutch boer or Low German būr (cognate with German Bauer “farmer”), derivative of unattestest Germanic bū- “to dwell, build, cultivate”; -er ¹; bond ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of boor¹

Old English gebūr ; related to Old High German gibūr farmer, dweller, Albanian būr man; see neighbour

Example Sentences

In an instant, his beach route comment did me a huge kindness and made me feel like an incurious boor.

From Los Angeles Times

Being a misogynist boor may offer temporary gratification, but in the long or even medium term, it will just make men's problems worse.

From Salon

Still, at this trial, any prosecutor questioning Cohen will be formal in tone and manner, signaling distance from a man painted in testimony as an aggressive boor and henchman.

From Slate

Julianne Moore is his mother, a humorless scold whose coldness and impatience are seemingly understandable, as her son is such an insufferable boor.

From New York Times

Just flip alphabetically through the dictionary in your mind and the words pop up: aggressive, amoral, boor, bully, cad, conman, crass, criminal, cruel, disturbed, disorderly, defiant — and each one seeming to augment or amplify the one before.

From Salon

Related Words

• bumpkin
• hick
• peasant