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Definition of boonies

boonies

Plural:boonies
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boonies Lexical Profile

boonies Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

North American A remote, rural, or sparsely populated area far from cities and towns; the backwoods or hinterlands (usually preceded by 'the').

Example

"They bought an old farmhouse out in the boonies where the nearest grocery store is thirty miles away."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Word Nuance & Usage

Used almost exclusively in the plural with the definite article ('the boonies'), frequently in the prepositional phrase 'out in the boonies'.

• Nearby Words

boondock
boondocks
boondoggle
boonies
boor
boorish
boorishly

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in mid-20th-century American military slang (particularly during the Vietnam War) as a shortened, colloquial alteration of 'boondocks', itself borrowed from the Tagalog word 'bundok', meaning 'mountain'.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Boonies. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/boonies
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