Meanings
comparative more townish · superlative most townish
- in compoundsoftenCharacteristic of a (certain type of) town.
- obsoletePertaining to or inhabiting a town, urban.
In stature passing all the rest, A gallant girl for hewe; To be compared to townish nymphs, So faire she was to viewe.
1567, George Turberville, second eclogue of Baptista Mantuanus1 more example
My mothers maydes when they did ſowe & ſpyñ they ſang ſometyme a ſong of the feld mowſe that forbicauſe her lyvelood was but thyñ Would nedes goo ſeke her townyſſh ſyſters howſe
c. 1527–1542, Thomas Wyatt, “My mothers maydes when they did ſowe & ſpyñ”, in Egerton MS 2711, page 50v
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Middle Englishtownishe
- Englishtownish
From Middle English townishe, townysche, equivalent to town + -ish.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
townish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/townish
“townish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/townish. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “townish,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/townish.
Source: townish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.