Bucolic
/bjuːˈkɒlɪk/
adjectiveC1
Definition
Bucolic means connected with the countryside or rural life. It often describes places, scenes, or feelings that are calm, natural, and simple, like farms, fields, or small villages far from cities.
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See It in Action
Related to the pleasant aspects of the countryside
- •They enjoyed a bucolic picnic near the river.
- •The painting shows a bucolic scene with sheep and rolling hills.
- •She dreams of living in a bucolic village far from the city.
Describing peaceful, simple rural life or atmosphere
- •The novel paints a bucolic picture of farm life.
- •His poems often celebrate bucolic beauty and calmness.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "bucolic" like "country" (A1 word), but with a peaceful and pretty feeling, not just a place
- ✓Picture green fields, cows grazing, small houses, and quiet roads in a village far from noise and busy cities
- ✓It's the feeling you get when you visit a calm farm or walk in nature away from city noise
- ✓Sounds like "BEW-kol-ik" → imagine a "beautiful cool" place in the countryside with fresh air and quiet sounds
- ✓Think of stories or movies about simple farm life, like "Little House on the Prairie," showing calm countryside living
- ✓NOT like "urban" (city life with noise and crowds), "bucolic" is peaceful and rural
- ✓NOT like "wild" nature (untouched forest), "bucolic" is often about managed farmland or gentle countryside
- ✓NOT like "busy" or "modern," it describes old-fashioned, simple, and quiet country life
Try Other Words
- •Rural: relating to the countryside (Use when talking about places outside cities, more neutral and less poetic)
- •Pastoral: related to farming or countryside life, often peaceful (Use when emphasizing farm life or peaceful rural scenes)
- •Rustic: simple and old-fashioned, often in the countryside (Use when describing rough but charming country style)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: (no clear prefix or suffix, from root)
- •Etymology: From Latin "bucolicus," from Greek "boukolikos," meaning "herdsman" or "cowherd" (someone who takes care of cows)
- •Historical development: Originally related to shepherds and herding animals, later used for peaceful country life and scenes
- •Modern usage: Used mainly in literature, art, and speech to describe calm, simple countryside life or scenes that feel natural and peaceful
Reflect & Connect
•How does the idea of bucolic life compare to your experience of city life or nature?
•Can a place be bucolic and modern at the same time? Why or why not?
Fill in the blanks
1.The artist painted a bucolic landscape full of ___ and quiet hills.
2.People often visit bucolic areas to escape ___ and noise.
3.A bucolic scene usually includes ___ like farms, animals, or open fields.
4.Unlike a busy city, a bucolic town feels ___ and slow.
5.Writers use the word bucolic to describe ___ and simple country life.
6.The poem's bucolic tone makes readers imagine peaceful ___ far from cities.
7.When describing a place as bucolic, you expect it to have ___ nature and calm surroundings.