Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective loutish differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of loutish are boorish, churlish, and clownish. While all these words mean "uncouth in manners or appearance," loutish implies bodily awkwardness together with stupidity.

a loutish oaf

When would boorish be a good substitute for loutish?

Although the words boorish and loutish have much in common, boorish implies rudeness of manner due to insensitiveness to others' feelings and unwillingness to be agreeable.

a drunk's boorish behavior

In what contexts can churlish take the place of loutish?

The words churlish and loutish can be used in similar contexts, but churlish suggests surliness, unresponsiveness, and ungraciousness.

churlish remarks

When could clownish be used to replace loutish?

The words clownish and loutish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, clownish suggests ill-bred awkwardness, ignorance or stupidity, ungainliness, and often a propensity for absurd antics.

an adolescent's clownish conduct

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of loutish Both Steve and Nick turn a blind eye to the way their mostly white clientele single out the token dancer of color for particularly loutish objectification, grabbing Otis’s head for a kiss or reaching inside his briefs despite his clear discomfort. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2022 Yet this film’s strong proto-feminist stance, in which two young women seek new, urban lives in Budapest while regularly battling loutish men, proves its biggest draw. David Mermelstein, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2022 Mira is attracted to the hunky commander Avraham (Yadin Gellen), while loutish serviceman Jamous (Elad Levi) pursues hot-tempered redhead Naomi (Neta Roth). Alissa Simon, Variety, 15 July 2022 Thus his ex-wife, a bank teller, becomes finance minister; a beat cop who refuses to take bribes (Oleksandr Pikalov) becomes defense minister; and the loutish actor Sergei Viktorovich Mukhin (Yevhen Koshovy) becomes foreign minister. David Klion, The New Republic, 7 Apr. 2022 See all Example Sentences for loutish 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loutish
Adjective
  • Borisov has actually played such a role before, having previously starred as a boorish Russian dude who slowly reveals his softer side in the Finnish romantic comedy Compartment No. 6.
    A.A. Dowd, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
  • The audiences at those concerts would strike us as boorish.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 16 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • She’s still been busy, though, with all the ski trials and uncouth houseguests.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
  • That collab has produced six custom 1α bikes, each costing €19,900, and looking – to my uncouth eye, at least – almost exactly like standard 1α models (priced at €14,900) but with an ill-fitting and slightly fuzzy seat cover.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Before news of the repression broke, many Western media stories about Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov portrayed him as a clownish dictator obsessed with his Instagram account.
    Layla Taimienova, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2017
  • Over the coming days, the owners of Four Seasons Total Landscaping did their patriotic duty and cashed in on their temporary notoriety, selling souvenirs to commemorate the fiasco; to Trump’s detractors, the debacle epitomized the clownish incompetence that had defined his presidency.
    Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Give yourself permission to go see a truly stupid movie.
    Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US, theweek, 8 Nov. 2024
  • Among the show’s many, many, many Twilight Zone spoofs, this one is the funniest and the best, with a conclusion that’s equal parts brilliant and stupid.
    Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The British series, which debuted in 2022, follows Oscar winner Gary Oldman’s churlish and disheveled Jackson Lamb as the leader of a team of disgraced and disowned MI5 agents scrappily and shabbily getting the job done.
    Trey Williams, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Aug. 2024
  • Asked about these comments, and responding to them, Tiger himself was churlish.
    Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 18 July 2024
Adjective
  • Their classless behavior is almost unbelievable at times.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2024
  • More recently, Venezuela’s disastrous efforts under Presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro to pursue a classless society through expropriations and unsustainable spending ultimately chased away businesses, private investment, and most of the middle class.
    Luis Alberto Moreno, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020

Thesaurus Entries Near loutish

Cite this Entry

“Loutish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loutish. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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