as in peasant
an awkward or simple person especially from a small town or the country
a rustic who was awed by the prices that city dwellers had to pay
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also rustical
1
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance
rustic yokels whose first impulse was to smirk gawkily at anyone not of their own kind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rural
of, relating to, associated with, or typical of open areas with few buildings or people
a rustic area that has a refreshing lack of billboards and shopping malls
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of rustic
Rick Jordan,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Neither modish nor cookie-cutter rustic in aesthetic, the hotel, tucked away off the main street in the village of Malfa, feels like a genuine home, where old framed maps, ceramics, pots, and paintings, along with other antiques, have been collected over the years.
—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
Who needs to make a whole tomato pie, when this easy, albeit more rustic, option exists?
—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for rustic
Noun
It is centred around a striking building topped with turf, a nod to Iceland’s traditional architecture, with aqueduct-like arches and an angular timber roof inside—a little Hobbit-like, a little sci-fi rustic.
—
Rick Jordan,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Neither modish nor cookie-cutter rustic in aesthetic, the hotel, tucked away off the main street in the village of Malfa, feels like a genuine home, where old framed maps, ceramics, pots, and paintings, along with other antiques, have been collected over the years.
—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Dinner in and around town can span destination prix-fixe tasting menus, rustic handmade pasta, and Southern comfort food.
—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
Who needs to make a whole tomato pie, when this easy, albeit more rustic, option exists?
—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for rustic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rustic
Noun
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The back-to-the-land aesthetic of peasant skirts, head scarves, and florals seems to seep into fashion at this time of year, but a distinctly folk vibe is now taking over interiors too.
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Most urban Russians in those days were little more than one generation removed from their peasant roots, so just about everyone remembered the relevant skills.
Adjective
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Runcie is sharply attuned to the vast uncomfortable grey areas of gender and power relations, navigating them with wry, revelatory observations that are devastatingly acute.
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That observation carries an uncomfortable implication for executives.
Adjective
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Their bodies were found weeks later, buried in an earthen dam in a rural area of Neshoba County.
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For the elderly voters with mobility issues who now are required to register in-person, the working-class parent who has to shell out $165 for a passport or the rural voter who must drive multiple towns over to provide proof of citizenship — this bill impacts them.
Noun
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Marlowe, the son of a poor Canterbury cobbler, and Shakespeare, the son of a Stratford glover and alderman, were both unlikely artistic geniuses, provincials in a nation in which social class was rigidly fixed.
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Sanders is a Catholic priest and former Augustinian provincial in California and lives in the Augustinian community in North Park.
Adjective
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As the nation gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday, most Americans feel uneasy about their present, and pessimistic about their future, polls show.
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Sanders takes an uneasy step, into his wonderful, painful childhood.
Noun
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When Johnson was vice president and visiting Europe, there were reports filed by these British ambassadors in several countries that basically made fun of him as a hick.
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So a bunch of hicks from Topeka were left up to our own devices of going down to Robert Hall and finding something that might be kind of cool.
Adjective
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This has, in many cases, led to some clumsy looking solutions at venues across North America.
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An early furor over accepting valuable gifts, including designer spectacles and Taylor Swift concert tickets, was followed by a series of policy U-turns, especially clumsy attempts to cut welfare spending that stirred anger in Labour ranks.
Noun
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Simply put, the small-town bumpkins from North Florida who support this idea should be made to pay for it.
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Clifton loved motorcycles and, as Hawkins said, was a country bumpkin who loved nature.
Cite this Entry
“Rustic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rustic. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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