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 While Reichardt never pushes for comedy, these fusty parental exchanges are often very funny, as are J.B.’s bad-parenting episodes with the boys. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025 Ignoring the conventions of academic portraiture, a genre associated with pale men standing in front of burgundy drapes, Sherald liberated America’s first lady from the fusty, cigar-brown rooms of the past. Deborah Solomon, New York Times, 15 May 2025 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 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
  • For its part, the NFL says those markets are ripe for monetary distortion or manipulation.
    Contessa Brewer,Alex Sherman, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
  • From these experiences, Austen must have concluded that throwing together a play was a ripe scenario for generating drama and tension between a close set of characters in her fiction.
    Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • New homes command higher prices with their quartz countertops, brand-new appliances, fresh paint, and none of the carpet stains or musty smells that can haunt a resale.
    Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Some of his customers swear by it for getting rid of stubborn pit stains and freshening up musty towels, too.
    Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Avoid adding smelly meats, fruit rinds or other sweet-smelling food scraps to your compost.
    Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Once cool, pour it into a spray bottle and lightly mist the smelly surfaces.
    Cody Godwin, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Midsummer is usually when sargassum, the floating seaweed that often washes up in malodorous piles on Florida beaches, starts to wane.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Callery pear and Bradford pear trees are considered malodorous, according to the Spruce, a home and garden site.
    Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • Jessica Post, who lives near Auburn and was sitting near the right field foul pole with her sister, Deanna Ritter of Roseville, was happy the A’s had put the flags to half-staff.
    Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Then second baseman Máximo Acosta chased down the ball in foul territory and threw wildly past third.
    Steve Gorten, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • An alkaline compound, baking soda is a non-toxic cleaner with a coarseness that works wonders for scrubbing grime, removing difficult stains, and deodorizing stinky odors.
    Lauren David, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
  • This $8 set comes with four zippered pouches that can separate dirty, wet, or stinky shoes from the rest of your belongings.
    Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Or find a less filthy campmate.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Away from a filthy Superdome and Convention Center where they had been holed up for days.
    Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Fusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fusty. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!