Definition

Noun: A person who is perceived as unsophisticated, unintelligent, or having little interest in culture, often specifically from a rural area. The term is typically used in a derogatory or mocking way.

Usage

The word "yokel" is a noun used to describe someone, often from the countryside, who is considered ignorant of modern, urban, or cultured ways. It is a pejorative term and can be offensive.

Examples

• The city tourists sometimes treated the locals like ignorant yokels.
• He felt like a yokel at the fancy art gallery, not understanding any of the paintings.
• The play's comedy relied on the contrast between the sophisticated city dweller and the simple yokel.

Advanced Usage

• "Country yokel": A more specific, redundant phrase emphasizing the rural origin.
  • The politician's speech was dismissed as nonsense fit only for country yokels.

Variants and Related Words

• Yokelish (adjective): Having the characteristics of a yokel; unsophisticated.
  • His yokelish manners were out of place at the formal dinner.

Synonyms

• Bumpkin
• Hillbilly (especially US)
• Hick
• Rustic (less derogatory)
• Peasant (can be neutral or derogatory depending on context)

Antonyms

• Sophisticate
• Cosmopolitan
• Urbanite

Related Idioms

• "Local yokel": A common, informal phrase used to refer to an unsophisticated local person.
  • Ask one of the local yokels for directions to the old mill.

Noun

1. a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture