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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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
Where to Stay Hotels and Cabins The historic Starved Rock Lodge & Conference Center, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, has traditional lodge rooms, rustic-chic log cabins, and modern hotel rooms. — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 20 Sep. 2026 Missouri wines are poured in the rustic log cabin dining room, pairing perfectly with the menu’s premium steak selection. — Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 19 Sep. 2026 The overall effect is tailored and contemporary rather than rustic. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2026 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 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
  • Influential courtiers orbited more closely than those with less gravity, and peasants weren’t part of the picture.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of peasant
Adjective
  • Likewise, tipping can make settling up uncomfortable when dining out with friends.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
  • To do the uncomfortable things and show up and be ready and make great music with energy and a sense of wonder.
    — Dan Hyman, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of uncomfortable
Adjective
  • The scale of an investment such as this one is asymmetrical with the legal and administrative capacity of a small, rural community, said Anthony Pipa, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies development and policy in rural areas.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Maryland could end up with polka-dot districts, where neighborhoods in distant cities and rural counties are joined together with narrow tendrils to create a favorable mix of voters.
    — Colin Pascal, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 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
  • An uneasy calm prevailed along the border Friday, with no new fighting reported.
    — MUNIR AHMED, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Their battles for influence, image and desire, in a Spain on the brink of collapse, are observed and narrated with fierce irony by Francisco de Goya, an uneasy witness who turns palace intrigue into a surprisingly contemporary mirror.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 26 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
  • One of the clumsiest parts of Klosterman’s book is his attempts at political punditry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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 5 Oct. 2026.

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