rustic

adjective

rus·tic | \ ˈrə-stik

variants: or less commonly rustical \ ˈrə-sti-kəl

Definition of rustic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or suitable for the country : rural rustic rolling farmland

2a : made of the rough limbs of trees rustic furniture

b : finished by rusticating a rustic joint in masonry

3a : characteristic of or resembling country people

b : lacking in social graces or polish

4 : appropriate to the country (as in plainness or sturdiness) heavy rustic boots

rustic

noun

Definition of rustic (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an inhabitant of a rural area

2a : an awkward coarse person

b : an unsophisticated rural person

Other Words from rustic Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about rustic

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Other Words from rustic

Adjective

rustically \ ˈrə-sti-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

rusticity \ ˌrə-ˈsti-sə-tē

\ noun

Examples of rustic in a Sentence

Adjective

The inn has a rustic atmosphere. rustic yokels whose first impulse was to smirk gawkily at anyone not of their own kind

Noun

a rustic who was awed by the prices that city dwellers had to pay

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The couple stripped the house down to the studs and rebuilt it completely to get the perfect balance of rustic and elegant. — Ap Mcclatchy, The Mercury News, "Renovated farmhouse the perfect balance of rustic and chic," 17 June 2019 This is hard, physical labor, and my living conditions are a lot more rustic and communal than I was led to believe. — Dear Abby, oregonlive.com, "Dear Abby: Husband of 30 years tells wife he never loved her, didn’t want to marry her," 11 June 2019 This is hard, physical labor, and my living conditions are a lot more rustic and communal than I was led to believe. — Abigail Van Buren, Twin Cities, "Dear Abby: After 30 years, husband says marriage isn’t what he wanted," 11 June 2019 Whether your décor is rustic or mid-century modern, this minimalistic black fixture will fit right in. — Brigitt Earley, Good Housekeeping, "18 Pieces from Walmart’s New MoDRN Collection That’ll Upgrade Every Room in Your Home," 20 May 2019 For rustic charm, the Amalinda Collection’s new four-bed Khulu’s Private Retreat (attached to the 12-bed Khulu Bush Camp) at Hwange’s southern edge is the real thing. — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "The Best Places to Travel in 2019," 7 Dec. 2018 Sea Lily Malibu This eco-friendly florist is based in a rustic barn at Malibu Gardens Nursery. — Brittany Martin, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Definitive List of Where to Get Flowers for Valentine’s Day—Or Any Day," 22 Jan. 2018 The very elements that have won Charbono a devoted following — its proclivity toward low alcohol levels, its rustic tannins — have also excluded it from contemporary Napa Valley stardom. — Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, "The fight to keep alive Charbono, Napa’s nearly extinct heritage grape," 26 June 2019 Possibilities have started to open back up—wide, flat gravel trails and rustic lodges, creeks with sandy beaches. — Adrienne So, WIRED, "Snow Peak’s Fire Pit Makes Me Like Camping Again," 16 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Hudson, an English naturalist at the turn of the last century, interviewed elderly rustics who still belonged as entirely to their landscape as the wildlife. — Kieran Dodds, Smithsonian, "Britain’s Lake District Was Immortalized by Beatrix Potter, But Is Its Future in Peril?," 20 Apr. 2018 Mendelssohn was perhaps the ultimate Biedermeier composer, most inspired with his miniature Songs Without Words or when portraying the fairies and rustics of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. — David Patrick Stearns, Philly.com, "Yannick has his way with Mendelssohn's symphonies in new three-disc set," 22 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rustic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.