1
Core meaning
A rude, insensitive, clumsy, or socially ill-mannered person.
Example
He behaved like a boor, interrupting every guest.
boor
/bʊər/ · BOORnoun
A rude, insensitive, clumsy, or socially ill-mannered person.
Use boor to express this relationship precisely: a rude, insensitive, clumsy, or socially ill-mannered person.
What boor Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common noun frame
Use this noun in a complete noun phrase, adding the complement that identifies what it refers to when needed.
Example
The comedy turns the refined host into a drunken boor.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact concept matters; a related term may describe its cause, evidence, or opposite instead.
Example
Ignorance of one custom does not make a visitor a boor.
Use boor Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
He behaved like a boor, interrupting every guest.
The comedy turns the refined host into a drunken boor.
Ignorance of one custom does not make a visitor a boor.
Precision Matters
Boor overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
boor
vs.Means a rude, insensitive, clumsy, or socially ill-mannered person.
courtier
Means a member or attendant of a royal court, sometimes one who seeks favour through flattery.
boor
vs.Means a rude, insensitive, clumsy, or socially ill-mannered person.
connoisseur
Means a person with expert knowledge, refined judgment, and cultivated appreciation in a particular field.
boor
vs.Means a rude, insensitive, clumsy, or socially ill-mannered person.
aristocrat
Means a member of a hereditary, wealthy, or socially privileged ruling class.
boor
vs.Means a rude, insensitive, clumsy, or socially ill-mannered person.
buffoon
Means a ridiculous person who amuses others through clowning, foolish behaviour, or crude jokes.
Test boor in Context
He is rude, insensitive, and lacking social manners.
1
The guest who mocked the hosts and shouted over everyone behaved like a ___.