Uncouth

Uncouth describes things, such as language or behavior, that are impolite or socially unacceptable. A person may also be described as uncouth if they are behaving in a rude way.
 
// Stacy realized it would be uncouth to show up to the party without a gift, so she picked up a bottle of wine on the way.

uncouth
adjective
un·;couth ;n-;k;th
Synonyms of uncouth
1
a
: awkward and uncultivated in appearance, manner, or behavior : rude
b
: lacking in polish and grace : rugged
uncouth verse
c
: strange or clumsy in shape or appearance : outlandish
2
a
archaic : not known or not familiar to one : seldom experienced : uncommon, rare
b
obsolete : mysterious, uncanny
uncouthly adverb
uncouthness noun


Did you know?
History of Uncouth: From Unfamiliar to Outlandish

Old English speakers used the word c;th to describe things that were familiar to them, and unc;th for the strange and mysterious. These words passed through Middle English into modern English with different spellings but the same meanings. While couth eventually dropped out of use, uncouth soldiered on. In Captain Singleton by English novelist Daniel Defoe, for example, the author refers to “a strange noise more uncouth than any they had ever heard,” while Shakespeare wrote of an “uncouth forest” in As You Like It. This “unfamiliar” sense of uncouth, however, joined couth in becoming, well, unfamiliar to most English users, giving way to the now-common meanings, “rude” and “lacking polish or grace.” The adjective couth in use today, meaning “sophisticated” or “polished,” arose at the turn of the 20th century, not from the earlier couth, but as a back-formation of uncouth, joining the ranks of other “uncommon opposites” such as kempt and gruntled.

Synonyms
boorish
churlish
classless
cloddish
clownish
loutish
Examples of uncouth in a Sentence
People thought he was uncouth and uncivilized.
will not tolerate any uncouth behavior, such as eating with one's mouth open
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Inept and uncouth, these working-class anti-heroes invaded the homes of the one percent and laid waste to them.
—Donald Liebenson, Vulture, 14 June 2024
Some authors paint the media as an intrusive, uncouth pack of wolves.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 16 Mar. 2025
Buteau’s special isn’t as brainy, brash or uncouth as others released this year, but there’s a sweetly molten core to her routines, a sense of genuine warmth.
—Melissa Kirsch, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024
To even suggest that not all societies wanted peace was seen as vulgar and uncouth.
—Uri Kurlianchik, National Review, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English unc;th, from un- + c;th familiar, known; akin to Old High German kund known, Old English can know — more at can entry 1

First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of uncouth was before the 12th century