MUSTY Synonyms: 171 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'musty' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of musty are fetid , fusty , malodorous , 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 is it sensible to use 'malodorous' instead of 'musty'?

The synonyms malodorous and musty are sometimes interchangeable, but malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive. // malodorous fertilizers

Q: When would 'noisome' be a good substitute for 'musty'?

While in some cases nearly identical to musty , noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive. // a stagnant, noisome sewer

Q: In what contexts can 'putrid' take the place of 'musty'?

The words putrid and musty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter. // the putrid smell of rotting fish

Q: When can 'rank' be used instead of 'musty'?

Although the words rank and musty have much in common, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell. // rank cigar smoke

Q: How do 'stinking' and 'fetid' relate to one another, in the sense of 'musty'?

Both stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting. // prisoners were held in stinking cells // the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

musty

adjective

ˈmə-stē

Definition of musty

as in stinking

having an unpleasant smell musty old gym socks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stereotyped

used or heard so often as to be dull the musty prose of writers who use the same expressions over and over

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word musty distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of musty are fetid, fusty, malodorous, 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 is it sensible to use malodorous instead of musty?

The synonyms malodorous and musty are sometimes interchangeable, but malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

When would noisome be a good substitute for musty?

While in some cases nearly identical to musty, noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

In what contexts can putrid take the place of musty?

The words putrid and musty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

When can rank be used instead of musty?

Although the words rank and musty have much in common, rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

How do stinking and fetid relate to one another, in the sense of musty?

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 musty The all-in-one dock cleans the spinning dual mops with hot water, dries them with warm air to prevent musty smells, and automatically drains and refills the water tank. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026 An old, musty smell in your cabinets can be caused by multiple issues, the biggest one being moisture. — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026 So he was drawn to musty libraries, archives and the internet. — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026 Rarely has a film so resourcefully evoked the transportive but decidedly analog thrill of reading; rarely has the warmly musty smell of research libraries and archives somehow wafted with such sense-memory precision off a cinema screen. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for musty

Recent Examples of Synonyms for musty

Adjective

For this argument Thomasine was jailed—stuffed into a damp, stinking, deadly stone cell crawling with rats and lice—to force her to change her beliefs.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
America’s political landscape has become a stinking mess.

— Mary Ellen Klas, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026

Definition of stinking

Adjective

Despite their outer appearances and oftentimes stereotyped personalities, the ladies embrace each other’s depths and contradictions.

— Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
This is a directed, stereotyped behavior in which the highest-resolution region of the somatosensory surface is brought to bear on the object requiring the most detailed analysis.

— Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026

Definition of stereotyped

Adjective

Mark Birley was a visionary who realized that the younger generation was becoming prosperous but didn’t want to sit in fusty rooms smoking cigars.

— Mark Cecil, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026
After its electrifying premiere, there were quickly reports that A24 is focused on a Best Picture campaign for the film in large part because the Academy’s fusty Documentary Branch may opt not to nominate it for Best Documentary Feature.

— Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of fusty

Adjective

And most of us are tired of paying for the playthings of millionaires and billionaires.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Airbnb guests who are tired of spending the final hour of their vacation stripping beds and scrubbing pans are about to get a break.

— Lena Borrelli, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of tired

Adjective

Measures Of Success Going deeper than ratings or viewing time is key to identifying classic IP that is ripe for relaunch or reinvention.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026
Rioting, looting and chaos provide Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party with issues ripe for a campaign focused on immigration and public disorder.

— Editorial Board, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of ripe

Adjective

As much as price rises for PC hardware have become commonplace over the past couple of years amid the ongoing memory shortage, the recent rises are unprecedented.

— Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 28 Oct. 2026
Paintings of urban dining were commonplace among the Ashcan portfolios of John Sloan and Robert Henri, the latter whose mysterious nocturnes of outdoor night cafés seem particularly relevant.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of commonplace

Adjective

The hackneyed ruminations on feminine style are punctured by an image of violent female rage.

— Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
There’s some hackneyed dialogue, much of it borne by Neeson, who despite his prominence in advertising gets sidelined for most of the running time.

— Dennis Harvey, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of hackneyed

Browse Nearby Words

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mutability

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“Musty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/musty. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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