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
Undaunted, the couple embarked on a renovation, working with a local builder and an architect who understood the rustic vernacular architecture associated with Glacier National Park. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2026 Brown + Mint Green Soft mint green is the perfect pairing for rustic blonde brown. — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2026 Once the home of assemblage artist Lenny Kislin, this 1971 rustic-modern three-bedroom has a roomy porch with walls of screens and high ceilings, surrounded by mature landscaping. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026 The fire came within a quarter-mile of Deetjen’s, a rustic 90-year-old hotel. — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 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
  • Mansour persevered, turning out bright canvases of olive groves and peasants that brought to mind his former home and were well received.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Andrew Garfield is not just a rebellious peasant in his upcoming action period drama.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of peasant
Adjective
  • Germany said temperatures in the classrooms have been manageable at times but can become uncomfortable.
    — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • In a weird way, those injuries prepared me for uncomfortable feelings and tough times.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncomfortable
Adjective
  • From rural communities to large cities, pushback against the initiatives of Silicon Valley is forming a unique coalition of liberals and conservatives.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The Bordeaux region has slowed rural building too, but fire danger from the pines remains extremely high, said Claire Aragau, the professor at the Paris School of Urban Planning who led the study.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 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
  • Kurt's key takeaways Hearing AI on a 911 call would make a lot of people uneasy.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Falwell correctly sensed vulnerability in the uneasy alliance between rationalism and Christianity that had prevailed since the eighteenth-century Enlightenment.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 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
  • Yirenki’s challenge on Christos Tzolis is clumsy, but well short of a first yellow card, let alone a second.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Vocals are surprisingly good, despite the show being a bit awkward and clumsy at times.
    — Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Rustic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rustic. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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