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
Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Not that everything’s rustic—take the pommes pavé, which started out as an amuse-bouche on Ramie’s refined dinner menu.
—Allecia Vermillion, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 May 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
The texture is sturdy and a bit rustic, medium-plus in body with enough grip to hold up in cocktails.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Not that everything’s rustic—take the pommes pavé, which started out as an amuse-bouche on Ramie’s refined dinner menu.
—Allecia Vermillion, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rustic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rustic
Noun
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Wear with just a white bralette or a peasant top, fully tapping into the historical allusions.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
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The painting shows a lush, verdant Italian landscape, whose richness allows even peasants to enjoy leisurely strolls along its paths.—
Tyler Green,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Adjective
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This is very far from the truth, as Alamo coaxes Maddy into a deeply uncomfortable conversation in his hot tub, underlining the uneven power dynamic.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
-
Recent losses, outside criticism and a sense that the team’s identity has strayed from its original path have left LAFC in an uncomfortable position.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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He was wanted in connection with three killings in the Puna District, a large rural area on the island’s east coast.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
1 June 2026
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The story, set in rural California in the 1990s, opens as seventeen-year-old Cal finds the body of his high school classmate, Nora, lying across the train tracks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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.—
Heller McAlpin,
Christian Science Monitor,
10 Sep. 2025
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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
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While speaking to AZFamily, graduate Grace Reimer said the situation left her feeling uneasy.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
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The excellent and the ordinary coexist, but have an uneasy relationship.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
22 May 2026
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.—
Wendy Naugle,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2026
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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.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But a clumsy tackle and a penalty shootout later, and Arsenal left Budapest with nothing.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
Once in the water, where crocodiles have the home-ground advantage, large mammals become clumsy, oxygen-limited and vulnerable to rotational forces they are poorly equipped to resist.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2026
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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 1 Jun. 2026.
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