How to Use musty in a Sentence

musty

adjective
  • The point is the paper, the poignantly musty smell of the past.
    — Jason Guriel, Longreads, 10 Nov. 2022
  • The musty smell of grass, tinged with horse manure, hung in the air.
    — Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 29 May 2019
  • The musty, dusty smell of old books brings me back to those moments.
    — Hazlitt, 7 June 2023
  • Not unless the potatoes taste like the back of a musty pantry.
    — Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 12 July 2018
  • The front door was open and a musty smell perfumed the sidewalk.
    — Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2023
  • The gallery smells musty and has begun to attract flies and ants.
    — Roberta Smith, Martha Schwendener, Jason Farago and Will Heinrich, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2017
  • Left uncleaned, these spots can make the whole room smell musty.
    — Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024
  • But the line is like a musty old tee-shirt the President can’t or won’t throw away.
    — Clifton Leaf, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2020
  • The old case files, musty smelling from years in a storage unit, speak to Sutton.
    — al, 13 Feb. 2020
  • The small shack where Millay did much of her writing had a musty smell.
    — New York Times, 14 May 2018
  • The musty shelves, richly redolent of the past, quickly calmed me.
    — Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Jan. 2022
  • The nose shows nice, musty aromas with hazelnuts, pear and star fruit.
    — Tan Vinh and Owen Bargreen, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Dec. 2022
  • This is writing the songs and singing the songs in a world not much different from a musty gym full of haters.
    — Danyel Smith, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
  • Add half a cup to your rinse cycle for softer clothes and less musty smells.
    — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2025
  • But that story was now a day old, a musty chyron at this point.
    — Mark Leibovich, New York Times, 23 May 2018
  • The tape reels sat there for decades, quiet and ignored in a musty cardboard box.
    — Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 9 Aug. 2020
  • The books were old, musty, and set in microscopic type.
    — Seija Rankin, EW.com, 18 Aug. 2020
  • But the poor often live in cheap, damp and musty banjiha.
    — Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2022
  • The empty pie cases can be seen through a small hole in the door; put your nose near it, and the empty eatery smells musty.
    — Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2021
  • The show sports another fine set by Mark Lund of a musty country abode.
    — Misha Berson, The Seattle Times, 2 June 2017
  • As anyone who has walked into a musty house knows, molds can emit a strong odor, too.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 18 May 2021
  • If a car smells musty, that’s a likely sign it was exposed to water.
    — Ron Hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, 6 Oct. 2017
  • The chamber meets in a cavernous room with velvet curtains and a musty scent.
    — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2021
  • If anything smells musty, toss it in the washing machine too.
    — Rabekah Henderson, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2025
  • People use their fine flatware and want them more at arm’s reach, not stowed high away on a shelf in a musty box.
    — Clare Miers, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024
  • From a nearby dumpster there came the sweet and musty smell of decomposing seafood.
    — Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
  • This disposable hanging bag traps moisture, preventing stale, musty smells and leading to fresher air.
    — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
  • There’s nothing musty about the play.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 4 May 2026
  • Wash clothes with vinegar, baking soda, and enzyme detergent to fully remove musty odors.
    — Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 1 May 2026
  • Towels left bunched up trap moisture, develop a musty smell and can transfer mildew to skin.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'musty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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