FUSTY Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

fusty

adjective

ˈfə-stē

Definition of fusty

as in ripe

having an unpleasant smell couldn't stay too long in the fusty attic without sneezing

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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 The strategy has worked—the film is doing well at the box office—but Chalamet’s energy has vibed uncomfortably with the fusty atmosphere of awards-season campaigning, where glad-handing with showbiz retirees and eating rubber chicken at galas is still very much the norm. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026 Little girls in fusty dresses tend to a fleet of baby dolls. — Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025 Classical French cuisine found a new audience across London, Paris, and New York—and once-fusty sauces were something worth naming on the menu again. — Joel Hart, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025 Now the New York Historical (a rebranding last year dropped both fussy hyphen and fusty noun) is achieving its deferred ambitions, with a hundred-and-seventy-five-million-dollar expansion. — Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fusty

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fusty

Adjective

Mangoes are ripe for the picking in South Florida and the avocado trees are full.

— Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
But Lamb could be ripe for an upset, Thom Reilly, a professor and co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University, told USA TODAY.

— Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 22 July 2026

Definition of ripe

Adjective

America’s political landscape has become a stinking mess.

— Mary Ellen Klas, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
Not the good, high-altitude ozone that shields us from dangerous UV light, but bad ozone, hovering right above ground level — stinking, brownish, grayish photochemical smog.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026

Definition of stinking

Adjective

Signs of an infestation include seeing roaches during the day, finding droppings or egg cases, and noticing a musty odor.

— Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 16 July 2026
The bottle performs an automatic 10-second cleaning cycle every two hours when charged, keeping it free of musty odors and tastes thanks to a UV-C LED light built into the cap.

— Morgan Ashley Parker, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2026

Definition of musty

Adjective

Clean Your Washing Machine Front-loading washers can develop smelly odors from mold and mildew growth caused by detergent and fabric softener residue and body soil left inside the washer drum and rubber door seals.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 July 2026
As the day goes on, these smelly specimens will close back up and collapse, losing their infamously rotten odor.

— Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of smelly

Adjective

Over these six weeks, the standard of on-field refereeing was predictably unpredictable, given the wide range of views that exist in different countries on what constitutes a foul, caution or red card.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Joey Bart followed by lining a ball that whizzed over third base and then skidded in foul territory to the base of a wall that juts perpendicular to the infield.

— Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026

Definition of foul

Adjective

Knowing divorce is hard on kids is like knowing that water is wet, cigars are stinky, and that Selena Gomez is incapable of acting.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 July 2026
Cushioned insoles create the feeling of bouncing forward with every step, not to mention the mesh outers will eliminate the threat of sweaty, stinky feet.

— Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2026

Definition of stinky

Adjective

Dozens of people had spent almost a year living outside, filthy and exhausted, and for what?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
From shabby apartments to art experiments to filthy needles—with echoes of Patti Smith and Rebecca Makkai—Adler conjures an era of sorrow borne by too many, too young.

— Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026

Definition of filthy

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fustiness

fusty

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“Fusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fusty. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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