uncouth

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ʌnˈkuːθ/ UK /ʌnˈkuːθ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
lacking good manners, refinement, or grace

His uncouth table manners embarrassed the host.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · lacking good manners,... boorish crude coarse vulgar loutish unrefinedill-mannered

Opposites

refined cultured polished genteel courteous

Word family

Derived forms uncouthlyuncouthness

Related forms couth

Simplified etymology

Uncouth originally meant “unknown,” being formed from un- and couth, an old word meaning “known.” It later described unsophisticated language or style and, from there, uncultured or ill-mannered people and behavior.

Etymology

From Old English uncūth ('unknown, unfamiliar, strange'), from un- ('not') + cūth ('known, familiar'), past participle of cunnan ('to know'). The sense shifted from 'unfamiliar' to 'awkward, lacking grace'.

uncūth Old English cūth Old English *gnō- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# uncouth

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ʌnˈkuːθ/
**IPA (UK):** /ʌnˈkuːθ/

## Meanings
1. lacking good manners, refinement, or grace

## Examples
- His uncouth table manners embarrassed the host.

## Synonyms
- boorish
- crude
- coarse
- vulgar
- loutish
- unrefined
- ill-mannered

## Antonyms
- refined
- cultured
- polished
- genteel
- courteous

## Derived Forms
- uncouthly
- uncouthness

## Related Forms
- couth

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: uncūth
- Root: cūth
- Root: *gnō-

## Etymology
From Old English uncūth ('unknown, unfamiliar, strange'), from un- ('not') + cūth ('known, familiar'), past participle of cunnan ('to know'). The sense shifted from 'unfamiliar' to 'awkward, lacking grace'.

## AI Etymology
Uncouth is from Old English uncūth ('unknown, unfamiliar, strange'), from un- ('not') + cūth ('known, familiar'), past participle of cunnan ('to know'). The sense shifted from 'unfamiliar' to 'awkward, lacking grace'. Important recorded forms include uncūth (Old English), cūth (Old English), and *gnō- (Proto-Indo-European). Morphologically, the un- element marks negation, reversal, removal, or deprivation, while the base supplies the action, quality, or state being denied or undone. The semantic development is already visible in the history: an older concrete or specialized use was extended into the modern meaning rather than replaced by a separate origin. In current use it covers lacking good manners, refinement, or grace. The wider family includes derived forms such as uncouthly and uncouthness and related words such as couth.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

markdown