Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Churlish
Churl′ish
,Adj.
1.
Like a churl; rude; cross-grained; ungracious; surly; illiberal; niggardly.
“Churlish benefits.” Ld. Burleigh.
Half mankind maintain a
churlish
strife. Cowper.
2.
Wanting pliancy; unmanageable; unyielding; not easily wrought;
as, a
. churlish
soil; the churlish
and intractable nature of some mineralsBoyle.
Webster 1828 Edition
Churlish
CHURLISH
,Adj.
1.
Rude; surly; austere; sullen; rough in temper; unfeeling; uncivil.2.
Selfish; narrow-minded; avaricious.3.
[Of things.] Unpliant; unyielding; cross-grained; harsh; unmanageable; as churlish metal.4.
Hard; firm; as a churlish knot.5.
Obstinate; as a churlish war.Definition 2025
churlish
churlish
English
Adjective
churlish (comparative more churlish, superlative most churlish)
- of or pertaining to a serf, peasant, or rustic
- 1996, Jeet Heer, Gravitas, Autumn 1996
- [...] the eloquence and truth of his tribute stands in marked contrast to Kramer's churlish caricature of Kael as a happy pig wallowing in the dirt.
- 1996, Jeet Heer, Gravitas, Autumn 1996
- rude, surly, ungracious
- stingy or grudging
- (of soil) difficult to till, lacking pliancy; unmanageable
- 1730–1774, Oliver Goldsmith, Introductory to Switzerland
- Where the bleak Swiss their stormy mansion tread,
- And force a churlish soil for scanty bread.
- 1730–1774, Oliver Goldsmith, Introductory to Switzerland
Synonyms
- (of or pertaining to a serf): rustic
- (rude or surly): cross-grained, rude, surly, ungracious
- (stingy or grudging): grudging, illiberal, miserly, niggardly, stingy
Related terms
- churl
- churldom
- churled
- churlhood
- churlishly
- churlishness
Translations
of or pertaining to a serf
rude or surly
stingy or grudging
(of soil) difficult to till, lacking pliancy; unmanageable
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