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
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 chicken coop just outside the parterre adds a rustic note. — Myles McDonnell, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 July 2026 This is the smartest place on the island, although there’s also a lovely, chic boutique hotel in the interior, and a more rustic beach hotel nearby on Radhanagar—but this is by far the most significant one in the region. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 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
  • The narrative centers on the early careers and shifting dynamic between legendary figures Cao Cao and Yuan Shao as political corruption, peasant rebellions, and personal ambitions push the capital of Luoyang into absolute chaos.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 July 2026
  • Those immigration conditions led to decades of stateside stereotypes of Italians as poor and violent and their diet ridiculed as peasant grub.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of peasant
Adjective
  • No one really wants to keep wearing their stiff, uncomfortable boots after arriving back at camp following a long, challenging day on the trail.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 July 2026
  • There are staffers uncomfortable with the politics of the deal, worried that political interference could alter CNN’s coverage in a meaningful way.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026
Definition of uncomfortable
Adjective
  • Johnathon grew up among bull riders in his hometown of Cherbourg, a former Aboriginal mission that sits at the end of a long, sealed road in rural Queensland.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
  • But from here, in Jacopo’s one-hectare garden, you are tucked away in a Tuscan rural idyll.
    — Zoë Dare Hall, Forbes.com, 5 July 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
  • But as mainstream coverage of looksmaxxing continues and people like Clavicular are platformed by the fashion establishment, professionals across the beauty ecosystem are still uneasy.
    — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
  • Politics and sport have always been uneasy bedfellows, but until recently referees and other sport officials have rarely been dragged into the public discourse.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 9 July 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
  • And the big rocket launch feels way too clumsy, the stakes feeling much lower than play builds towards.
    — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
  • Paul Breitner, West Germany vs Netherlands, 1974 The Germans equalise from the spot after a clumsy foul by Wim Jansen.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 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 19 Jul. 2026.

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