1
as in stinking
having an unpleasant smell
musty old gym socks
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cliche
used or heard so often as to be dull
the musty prose of writers who use the same expressions over and over
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of musty
Change your cabin air filter before cranking up your car A.C. to avoid musty car smells.
—
Charles Singh, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
After even a short amount of time, a home with high humidity will begin to smell musty and grow mold.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
The whole thing is UV-resistant, and there are four air vents at the top, two in the front and two in the back, to keep hot, musty air from getting trapped inside and damaging your stuff.
—Clint Davis, People.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Its filter is designed to capture 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 microns in size for cleaner, less musty air.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for musty
Charles Singh, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
After even a short amount of time, a home with high humidity will begin to smell musty and grow mold.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
The whole thing is UV-resistant, and there are four air vents at the top, two in the front and two in the back, to keep hot, musty air from getting trapped inside and damaging your stuff.
—Clint Davis, People.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Its filter is designed to capture 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 microns in size for cleaner, less musty air.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for musty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for musty
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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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
Adjective
-
Several leaders described the pressure of being both highly visible and easily stereotyped.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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Their negative stereotyped reputation seems to follow them like ageism follows older employees or sexism follows female employees.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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If the leaf comes out with minimal resistance, the fruit is probably ripe.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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Mowing Lawns Homeowners are usually away on vacation or are probably too tired to maintain their yards.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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But, in Dick’s opinion, Charlie grew tired of baseball’s daily grind.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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Cross-promotional deals and product tie-ins have become commonplace in the past two decades, and gotten mainstream recognition for movies like Barbie and Wicked.—
Matt Craig,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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Over the past few decades, such affective polarization in the U.S. has become commonplace.—
James L. Gibson,
The Conversation,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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This hackneyed stance has turned his concert performances shrill and hollow.—
Armond White,
National Review,
28 May 2025
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Yet these hackneyed qualities are minor aspects of a production that otherwise can be eye-opening and newly invigorating.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Musty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/musty. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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