What does "country fellows" actually mean?

I searched on Internet for country fellows, but I couldn't find definition. What is the origin and the real meaning of country fellows?

Edit: I didn't mean "fellow countrymen". does this phrase have a double meaning? Because I heard it in a bad context. If a guy did something unnatural they call him with pity.


Even I've tried to find references and failed. I can share my personal experience here, though, assuming the OP is a fellow Indian.

"Country fellow" is a slightly offensive phrase in south India. It is merely a direct translation of the words from south Indian languages (Malayalam, Tamil, etc.), for example, "naadan chekkan" in Malayalam.

It has nothing to do with the original meaning of fellow countrymen. What it actually means is a person who is cultureless; or someone not trendy enough (among a group of friends, mostly).

Suppose three friends are discussing western music (say, a rap song by Eminem). If one of them tells that he likes Indian carnatic music more, then the other two might say "Oh, grow up! Don't be such a country fellow".

I hope my explanation is clear. I couldn't find any reliable reference to add here. Perhaps it's enough that searching "country fellows" on google will have results related to south Indian slang.

It can also mean "people from the countryside", but that doesn't usually apply when used among friends.


There appears to be a band by this name; in that context it probably means "fellows from the country", i.e. men or friends from the countryside. This probably refers to Country music.

Other than that, I think this word is only used by non-native speakers, as a variation of "fellow countrymen": I do not believe this to be an actual native English word or expression. I have only found it on foreign websites whose English was of questionable quality.


As adjective, fellow means "being of the same kind, group, occupation, society, or locality".

They urged the troops not to fire on their fellow citizens.

Fellows can be used as noun to mean "who is of the same kind, group, occupation, society or locality".
Informally, fellow means also "man or boy".

[Example taken from the New Oxford American Dictionary.]