Churl – A rude or mean-spirited person

(Pronounced chuhl)

To remember the definition of the word churl, use the following mnemonic:

The church's vicar hurled (churl) abuse at the passers-by, they couldn't believe how rude and mean-spirited he was. 

Examples of churl in a sentence

They always tried to be friendly with their neighbour, but he always acted like a churl in response. 

She wondered why the cafe next door never had any customers, but then she met the churl of an owner who treated every customer horribly. 

Their maths teacher was a miserable old churl who'd never smiled a day in his life.