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 As a result, this version feels fresh instead of fusty. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Sep. 2024 The steel frame is easy to wipe down, and the open design keeps it from trapping fusty odors. Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 4 Mar. 2025 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 And yet the Guthman has been going strong since 2009, when what was formerly a fusty piano competition endowed by the Georgia Tech alumnus Richard Guthman transformed into a showcase for instrument inventors, in a bid to tie the school’s music program to its international high-tech reputation. Matthew Sherrill, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025 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
  • The time would seem to be ripe for the release of the aforementioned songs; reps for Cornell and the bandmembers did not immediately respond to Variety‘s requests for comment.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 19 May 2025
  • The Taiwan issue is also ripe for compromise and would strongly enhance a U.S.-China détente.
    J. Tedford Tyler, Time, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • Spring runoff goes under the building, creating a musty smell.
    Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Highly prized for their versatility, mushrooms’ flavor profiles range from woodsy to nutty, musty to mild.
    Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 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
  • Public stations were expensive to maintain and quickly became dirty and malodorous.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Come for Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, sweaty and malodorous and razor-sharp; stay for some of the best-structured storytelling on television.
    Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Four pitches into the game, Willy Adames crushed a hanging 1-2 slider for what appeared to be a solo home run, only for the call to be overturned by replay, the ball swerving just left of the foul pole.
    Dan Hayes, New York Times, 10 May 2025
  • Ketel Marte hit a solo home run around the right-field foul pole.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2025
Adjective
  • At least 12 outside experts submitted testimony in what’s called the Dunsmore case, finding that San Diego jails are filthy and that workers regularly fail to follow best practices or department policies.
    Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
  • Created in 2019 by Eastbound & Down's Danny McBride, the filthy HBO comedy centers around a family of corrupt, fast-talking televangelists led by John Goodman's aging and regretful Eli Gemstone.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 5 May 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Only one of them has a fetish for the fetid stink of porta potties, but the other one has their weird kinks too.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fusty. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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