Words / C / General

churlish

adjective/ˈtʃəːlɪʃ/

C2CEFR level
65/100Rarity: rare
FormalRegister

Rude, surly and mean-spirited in manner.

It would be churlish to refuse such a kind offer of help.

Similar: surly, boorish, ungracious

Origin: From Old English ceorlisc 'of a peasant', from ceorl 'common man'.

Topic: rudeness in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: rudeness