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rustic 1 of 2

noun

Definition of rusticnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rustic

2 of 2

adjective

ˈrə-stik How to pronounce rustic (audio)
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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 rustic
Adjective
Another room over, regulars sat clustered around a long bench under a wall-sized sunset mural, while sports fan pennants decorate the rustic interior. — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026 And the vindaloo sauce, ruddy and rustic, slowly unfolds with intellectual complexity before delivering a primal punch. — Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026 The nineteenth century saw authors in other countries (Germany, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Norway) attempting to firm up their nationalist claims by ransacking popular ballads, rustic legends, and oral traditions. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026 Their rustic appearance and unique layout add an aesthetic element to any room while also giving every keepsake its own dedicated spot. — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rustic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rustic
  1. peasant
  2. uncomfortable
  3. rural
  4. provincial
  5. uneasy
  6. hick
  7. clumsy
  8. bumpkin
Noun
  • Sinclair confessed that his only direct experience with the motion picture business was as the financial backer of Sergei Eisenstein’s Thunder Over Mexico (1933), a documentary ethnography of Mexican peasant life.
    — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The video sweeps around a reveling fiefdom, showing everyone from peasants to dukes partying and getting it on.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of peasant
Adjective
  • The organizational flexibility can lead to some uncomfortable discussions within the clubhouse, as Roberts and coaches keep the relievers updated on the latest plan for how they might be used.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • That seat then looks quite claustrophobic and uncomfortable to sit in.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of uncomfortable
Adjective
  • The hurricane posed the biggest threat to the rural and mountainous coast of Michoacan and Guerrero, which is scattered with small tourist towns and ports.
    — MEGAN JANETSKY, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Through the Back-to-the-Land movement, communes sprung up around rural parts of the country, with a large concentration in Northern California, on land that was cheap and easy to buy.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of rural
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
Definition of provincial
Adjective
  • Upheavals so profound are not accomplished without loosing uneasy spirits that will haunt us for many days.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Silicon sampling troubles some polling traditionalists who are uneasy about ethical and other implications of simulating human responses.
    — W. Joseph Campbell, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of uneasy
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of hick
Adjective
  • Feed your head Neagley gets off to a sluggish start, with a workmanlike, rather clumsy first episode largely spent establishing the main characters and central plot—and the writers lean a bit too hard on constant Chicago callbacks.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The residents of Mossy Bottom Farm are looking forward to Halloween – until the clumsy Farmer trashes the Flock’s beloved pumpkin patch.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of clumsy
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
Definition of bumpkin

Browse Nearby Words

rusted
rustic
rusticity
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Cite this Entry

“Rustic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rustic. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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