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
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
Who needs to make a whole tomato pie, when this easy, albeit more rustic, option exists?
—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 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
Dinner in and around town can span destination prix-fixe tasting menus, rustic handmade pasta, and Southern comfort food.
—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
Who needs to make a whole tomato pie, when this easy, albeit more rustic, option exists?
—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for rustic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rustic
Noun
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Karelian bear dogs were originally used by Finnish and Russian peasants as watch dogs and for hunting, according to the American Kennel Club.
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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.
Adjective
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The conclusions from these findings are both uncomfortable and freeing.
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Francisco Lindor is injured, and other guys just look uncomfortable.
Adjective
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The companies are now the leading drivers of the burgeoning AI industry, and their competing views about how the technology should be regulated are playing out in a wide-ranging political ad spending war that has targeted congressional races in big cities and rural areas alike.
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The prospect of even a mini-Dust Bowl is alarming as the original disaster during the Great Depression sent dust clouds across rural America, wiping out entire communities and triggering mass migration to other parts of the country.
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.
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Sanders is a Catholic priest and former Augustinian provincial in California and lives in the Augustinian community in North Park.
Adjective
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As the nation gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday, most Americans feel uneasy about their present, and pessimistic about their future, polls show.
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Sanders takes an uneasy step, into his wonderful, painful childhood.
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.
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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.
Adjective
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This has, in many cases, led to some clumsy looking solutions at venues across North America.
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An early furor over accepting valuable gifts, including designer spectacles and Taylor Swift concert tickets, was followed by a series of policy U-turns, especially clumsy attempts to cut welfare spending that stirred anger in Labour ranks.
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.
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Clifton loved motorcycles and, as Hawkins said, was a country bumpkin who loved nature.
Cite this Entry
“Rustic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rustic. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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