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
Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
Don’t sleep on its heirloom section, either—a collection of rustic, foraged objects that would look just right on a shelf by the door in your unapologetically urban apartment.
—Air Mail, 10 Jan. 2026
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
While rustic touches abound—think a natural shiplap wall in the kitchen space and butcher-block countertops—steel-and-glass windows and sleek cabinetry ensure that the lofted space feels decidedly modern.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rustic
Noun
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
Don’t sleep on its heirloom section, either—a collection of rustic, foraged objects that would look just right on a shelf by the door in your unapologetically urban apartment.
—Air Mail, 10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The disconnect — platinum hits deemed too folky or rock-tinged to fly on rustic-hodgepodge radio stations — suggests this business is something other than a meritocracy.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
While rustic touches abound—think a natural shiplap wall in the kitchen space and butcher-block countertops—steel-and-glass windows and sleek cabinetry ensure that the lofted space feels decidedly modern.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rustic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rustic
Noun
-
His paternal grandparents were peasants in Transylvania; his maternal grandparents were also peasants, and his grandmother was illiterate.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Like my own personal Cinderella moment, I’ve been turned from a peasant into a princess.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And this is where things get uncomfortable for the top seed.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Wilson has claimed that MacInnes told her that the incident made the young actress uncomfortable.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Layoffs slashed offices that dealt with English-language acquisition and those that worked with poor, minority, and rural districts.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
According to ShipMatrix data, on-time delivery rates in rural areas run about 5% to 7% slower than in urban markets, where performance typically ranges between 94% and 96%.—
Barbara Booth,
CNBC,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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.—
Heller McAlpin,
Christian Science Monitor,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Sanders is a Catholic priest and former Augustinian provincial in California and lives in the Augustinian community in North Park.—
Gary Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
This kind of bare-knuckle politics might explain why so many other GOP leaders are uneasy.—
The Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The entire record is a Trojan horse—a clear vision of white womanhood that hides a whole lot of churning, uneasy feelings.—
Shaad D’Souza,
Pitchfork,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Even young Oklahoma City required a clumsy postseason audition.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The driver and his accomplice then mounted a clumsy getaway that resulted in their scooter crashing about three blocks from the scene, cops said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Simply put, the small-town bumpkins from North Florida who support this idea should be made to pay for it.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Clifton loved motorcycles and, as Hawkins said, was a country bumpkin who loved nature.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rustic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rustic. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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