Meanings
rube1
plural rubes · alternative Reub
- CanadaUSinformalA person of rural heritage; a yokel.
You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste.
1991, Ted Tally, The Silence of the Lambs (motion picture), spoken by Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins)1 more example
"Same time," said Babbitt, "no sense excusing these rube burgs too easy. Fellow's own fault if he doesn't show the initiative to up and beat it to the city, like we done—did. […]"
1922, Sinclair Lewis, chapter VIII, in Babbitt, New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace and Company, →OCLCSynonyms: bogger, bogtrotter, boor, bucolic, bydlo, culchie, carl, churl
- derogatoryAn uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person.
Rube2
- A diminutive of the male given name Reuben.
- A male given name.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person of rural heritage; a yokel.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Generic use of the name Rube. See hey rube for more.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian селяндур, наивник
- селяндур (seljandur)person of rural heritage; a yokel
- наивник (naivnik)pejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
Czech (venkovský) balík, buran
- (venkovský) balíkperson of rural heritage; a yokel
- buranpejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
- křupanpejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
Danish bonderøv
- bonderøvperson of rural heritage; a yokel
Dutch plattelander, boerenpummel
- plattelanderperson of rural heritage; a yokel
- boerenpummelperson of rural heritage; a yokel
- simpele zielpejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
- sulpejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
- mafkeespejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
Finnish maalainen, juntti
- maalainenperson of rural heritage; a yokel
- junttipejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
French plouc
- ploucperson of rural heritage; a yokel
German Bauerntölpel, Bauerntrampel
- Bauerntölpelperson of rural heritage; a yokel
- Bauerntrampelperson of rural heritage; a yokel
- Tölpelpejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
- Trottelpejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
Hungarian bugris
- bugrispejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
Norwegian bondetamp
- bondetampperson of rural heritage; a yokel
Polish wieśniak, prostak
- wieśniakperson of rural heritage; a yokel
- prostakpejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
Russian деревенщина, простофиля
- деревенщина (derevenščina)person of rural heritage; a yokel
- простофиля (prostofilja)pejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
- проста́к (prosták)pejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
- недотёпа (nedotjópa)pejorative: uninformed, unsophisticated, or unintelligent person
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with rube
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
rube. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rube
“rube.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rube. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rube,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rube.
Source: rube on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.