Words / C2

BOORR-ish/ˈbʊərɪʃ/

Boorish means rude, coarse, and ill-mannered, with no sense of what is fitting: boorish heckling, a boorish remark. Rude (already in the dictionary) is everyday; churlish (already in the dictionary) is mean-spirited when thanks or generosity was due, a cousin of tone rather than of coarse manners. Obstreperous (already in the dictionary) is noisy and hard to control; affable (already in the dictionary) is the easy opposite. Senate noise is not a dated finding.

Meaning

Rude, coarse, and ill-mannered, with no sense of what is fitting.

Examples

• “Boorish heckling at Senate does not close a flame-risk minute.”
• “Rude is everyday (already in A2). Churlish is ungenerous when kindness was due (already in C2). Obstreperous is unruly noise (already in C2). Affable is easy and pleasant (already in C2) — the contrast. A sharp, dated objection can still be civil. A jeer that never numbers the risk is theatre. Write the finding; leave the heckle.”

Good to know

Coarse and ill-mannered. Everyday: rude (already in this dictionary). Close: churlish (already in C2). Contrast: affable (already in C2); obstreperous (unruly — already in C2). A jeer is not a minute.

Near in meaning

rude, coarse, churlish, uncouth

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