RURAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rural mean? 

• RURAL (adjective)
  The adjective RURAL has 2 senses:

1. living in or characteristic of farming or country life

2. of or relating to the countryside as opposed to the city

  Familiarity information: RURAL used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RURAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Living in or characteristic of farming or country life

Context example:

an economy that is basically rural

Similar:

agrarian; agricultural; farming (relating to farming or agriculture)

agrestic; rustic (characteristic of the fields or country)

arcadian; bucolic; pastoral ((used with regard to idealized country life) idyllically rustic)

campestral (of fields or open country)

countrified; countryfied; rustic (characteristic of rural life)

country-bred (rough and uncouth)

country-style (typical of the country)

cracker-barrel; homespun (characteristic of country life)

hobnailed (marked by the wearing of heavy boots studded with hobnails)

Antonym:

urban (located in or characteristic of a city or city life)

Derivation:

rurality (a rural characteristic or trait)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of or relating to the countryside as opposed to the city

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

rural free delivery

Pertainym:

country (an area outside of cities and towns)

Derivation:

rurality (a rural characteristic or trait)

 Context examples 

Hampshire. Charming rural place. The Copper Beeches, five miles on the far side of Winchester.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And while the children tested for the study lived in rural communities, the researchers said it's unlikely children in urban communities are any less at risk.

(Infants, Toddlers at More Risk from Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke than Thought, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The research examined satellite data from the past 30 years to track land cover changes in the Chobe district, a 21,000-square-kilometer area that encompasses urban, rural, communally-managed and protected lands.

(Land cover change in Botswana savannas: Don't blame the elephants, National Science Foundation)

These include: • Racial and ethnic minorities • Residents of rural areas • Women, children, the elderly • Persons with disabilities

(Health Disparities, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

Includes nomadism; labor or seasonal migration; patterns of rural, urban, or suburban migration; or voluntary or forced relocation.

(Human Migration, NCI Thesaurus)

In 2011, two-thirds of rural households in India used fuelwood for cooking, which has also been linked to increased risk of respiratory diseases.

(Shift to biogas helps revive forests, SciDev.Net)

But most Africans live in rural areas with no electricity.

(Shining light at night quells mosquito bites, SciDev.Net)

They are required to be located in medically-underserved rural and urban areas, and within those communities, they serve those with limited access to more mainstream health care.

(Community Health Center, NCI Thesaurus)

For example, Lassa fever is limited to rural areas of West Africa where rats and mice carry the virus.

(Hemorrhagic Fevers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

No deaths or serious injuries were reported as of Monday morning, but the bushfires have caused extensive damage in rural areas of Victoria and New South Wales (NSW).

(Australian Wildfires Destroy Homes, Kill Cattle as Hundreds of People Flee, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)