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
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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
Midwest Living, 11 June 2026
Breen won the prestigious Hickstead Derby in 2022 — one of the world’s toughest jumping classes and one that marries the sport’s rustic origins with modern-day innovations.
—Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 11 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
Don’t leave without dropping by the rustic farm store to peruse body lotions and scrubs handcrafted onsite with the farm’s lavender essential oils.
—Midwest Living, 11 June 2026
Breen won the prestigious Hickstead Derby in 2022 — one of the world’s toughest jumping classes and one that marries the sport’s rustic origins with modern-day innovations.
—Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for rustic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rustic
Noun
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In the early nineteenth century, after Egyptian peasants happened upon ancient fragments, archaeologists began to look in such places for pieces of manuscript, which could vary in size from a few letters to a slice of text.—
Madeleine Schwartz,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
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That moniker comes from a violent 1967 peasant uprising against oppressive landlords in Naxalbari, a village in the shadow of the Himalayan foothills in northeast India.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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One 2012 poll found that 23% of White evangelical voters were uncomfortable with Romney’s religion.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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If the air conditioner is set too high, then the home may be just as uncomfortable as the air outdoors.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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Subscribe now » Contributing Writer Sarah Melotte is a geographer and journalist whose work focuses on rural America.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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Meanwhile, Sánchez, a former minister now popular with rural voters, has pledged to combat corruption within the police force and promote reforms that would enable the military to support security efforts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 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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Yet at the height of his triumph, Brooks was uneasy.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
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After feeling uneasy about being famous for comedy at first, Faris now sees it as a privilege.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
4 June 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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This layout makes the monitor a natural fit for high-traffic environments like banking counters, medical reception desks, and service queues where traditional screen-sharing is often clumsy or compromises privacy.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 June 2026
-
The clumsy third inning from the defense didn’t help Tong, who threw 27 pitches in the frame.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
3 June 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 14 Jun. 2026.
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