Synonym Chooser

How is the word fusty distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of fusty are fetid, malodorous, musty, noisome, putrid, rank, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," fusty and musty suggest lack of fresh air and sunlight, fusty also implying prolonged uncleanliness, musty stressing the effects of dampness, mildew, or age.

a fusty attic
the musty odor of a damp cellar

When can malodorous be used instead of fusty?

While the synonyms malodorous and fusty are close in meaning, malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

Where would noisome be a reasonable alternative to fusty?

The meanings of noisome and fusty largely overlap; however, noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

When is it sensible to use putrid instead of fusty?

The synonyms putrid and fusty are sometimes interchangeable, but putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

When would rank be a good substitute for fusty?

In some situations, the words rank and fusty are roughly equivalent. However, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

How are the words stinking and fetid related as synonyms of fusty?

Both stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells
the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fusty Paradoxically, the most lucrative magazine today is likely the Costco Connection, which emerges monthly from the fusty and secretive Kirkland, WA, marketing empire. Peter Bart, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025 In keeping with his transformational persona, Barack Obama tried to liven things up with a tan suit, only to scandalize the fusty Washington establishment. Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025 Water damage and mold marked the ornate, gilded plasterwork, and paint—in a fusty Empire red—was peeling off the walls. Alice Cavanagh, Architectural Digest, 17 Dec. 2024 As a result, this version feels fresh instead of fusty. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for fusty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fusty
Adjective
  • This is about a team with a top-10 payroll whose GM committed too stinking much of it to dogs that can’t, or won’t, pull the sled.
    Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019
  • Muttaiah said the man inside the stinking manhole was working without any safety equipment — no gloves, no shoes, no supplemental oxygen.
    Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019
Adjective
  • If the leaf comes out with minimal resistance, the fruit is probably ripe.
    Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 22 June 2025
  • This is a fruit ripe for picking and every investor, private-equity firm and sovereign wealth fund looking for a prize asset in the world’s most popular domestic football league has kicked the tyres at Spurs, taken the tour and run the numbers.
    Matt Slater, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Adjective
  • Keep an eye out for water stains on ceilings and walls, a musty odor, or signs of past flooding in the basement or crawl space.
    Dana Bull, CNBC, 9 June 2025
  • Towels that are left in pile on the floor and aren't dried properly tend to develop musty odors and should be washed immediately.
    Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2025
Adjective
  • Banned in Europe In addition to being a carcinogen, formaldehyde, a colorless and smelly gas, can cause rashes and can sicken those who breathe it in, according to the FDA.
    Ronnie Cohen, NPR, 8 May 2025
  • Usually, a smelly refrigerator is caused by specific foods inside it and how they're stored.
    Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Rue was considered the most malodorous of all herbs, was even thought to keep away evil spirits, and was spread on church floors for this purpose.
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 12 June 2025
  • Public stations were expensive to maintain and quickly became dirty and malodorous.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Astros rookie Jacob Melton with a WILD catch in foul territory 😱 (via @astros)pic.twitter.com/KqrqRlDECr — B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) June 7, 2025 Otherwise, Melton was off to somewhat slow start to his career prior to the ankle injury.
    Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
  • For Lynn, playing in the minors meant bad lighting and a short foul pole in right at the late McCoy Stadium that cost him home runs.
    Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025
Adjective
  • Troubled Factories: The medications came mostly from plants in India where inspectors found contaminated drugs, filthy labs and falsified records.
    Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica, 17 June 2025
  • The next year, his fame reached a new echelon after the release of Pumping Iron, a docudrama that highlighted Schwarzenegger's strange charisma and filthy sense of humor.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • The stumps of dead Joshua trees jutted from the fetid ground cover, while a few others, still alive, appeared anemic and were adorned in wispy strands of plastic debris and dust.
    Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
  • Not so happy are people trying to swim around the stuff or breathing in the fetid aroma of drying mounds of sargassum.
    Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 9 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fusty. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.

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