bumpkin
/'bʌmpkin/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A bumpkin is a person who is not very sophisticated, intelligent, or interested in culture. The term describes someone from a rural area who is perceived as awkward, simple, or lacking in social grace and worldly knowledge. It is often used in a mildly derogatory or humorous way.
Usage
The word "bumpkin" is a noun used to label a person. It is typically used as a predicate noun (e.g., He is a bumpkin) or as part of a noun phrase (e.g., a country bumpkin). It carries a connotation of unsophistication and is often, though not always, associated with a rural background.
Examples
- The sophisticated city dwellers looked down on him, thinking he was just a bumpkin from the countryside.
- Don't be such a bumpkin; this is how you use a smartphone.
- He felt like a complete bumpkin at the formal art gallery opening.
Advanced Usage
- "Country bumpkin": This is a very common collocation that emphasizes the rural origins of the person being described. It is the most frequent way the word is used.
- The movie's plot involves a country bumpkin who moves to the big city and learns to adapt.
Variants and Related Words
- Bumpkinish (adjective): Having the qualities of a bumpkin; unsophisticated.
- His bumpkinish manners were charming to some but off-putting to others.
Synonyms
- Yokel: A synonym with a very similar meaning, often implying a naive rural person.
- Hillbilly: (Chiefly US) A person from a remote rural area, especially in the mountains, sometimes with connotations of a distinct culture.
- Hayseed: (Informal) Another term for an unsophisticated country person.
- Rube: (Informal, chiefly US) An unsophisticated country person.
Idioms and Fixed Phrases
- Country bumpkin: As noted in Advanced Usage, this is the standard idiomatic phrase.
- She may seem like a country bumpkin, but she's actually a brilliant scientist.
Noun
- a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture