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
Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
This Cyber Monday, Magnolia is offering up to 65% off across its collection of rustic-leaning furniture, home decor, lighting, rugs, tabletop, and more.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Terracotta pots are a beautiful, rustic way to house flowers, vegetables, and herbs.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rustic
Noun
This cabin kit trades a rustic, quaint look for a luxurious bungalow vibe that can be transformed into a guesthouse, an Airbnb, a cabin, a poolhouse, or even an office.
—Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
This Cyber Monday, Magnolia is offering up to 65% off across its collection of rustic-leaning furniture, home decor, lighting, rugs, tabletop, and more.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
If Milan is modern Europe, some of the competition clusters outside the city, spread from Valtellina on the Swiss border in the north to Cortina d’Ampezzo, 27 miles south of the Austrian border, represent both the rustic and gentrifying Italy.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Terracotta pots are a beautiful, rustic way to house flowers, vegetables, and herbs.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rustic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rustic
Noun
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Pair them with boots, peasant tops, lightweight sweaters, and more.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Feb. 2026
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But these peasant farmers kill themselves because of debt, not depression.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Starmer fired Mandelson in September after a tranche of emails revealed uncomfortable details about his ties to Epstein.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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Also, some users reported that rocks, mud and other softer substances get caught in the holes of the sole, making walking uncomfortable.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Republicans said that would stave off abuse of the Medicaid program and added a $50 billion investment in rural health to offset losses.—
ALI SWENSON,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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Judges in rural counties couldn’t find attorneys willing to represent parents, and when attorneys were sent to the area, they were untrained in family law, Fransein said.—
Raynee Howell,
Oklahoma Watch,
9 Feb. 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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Stage’s version translates the already uneasy feelings of hearing acid house reduced to happy-go-lucky plastic into something out of an actual acid trip.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
7 Feb. 2026
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Bashar is on the left, his body slightly angled away, his face uneasy.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Which is to say, this isn’t the story of a greedy, materialistic man who suffers a crisis of conscience while trying to pry a priceless treasure away from an uneducated hick who doesn’t know any better.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
29 Oct. 2025
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Ricky develops romantic feelings for Chad even though Russ plays him as a soft-spoken, possibly dim rural hick who may well be a literal man-child.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Isabel, sitting in a driving-range stall, is nearly hit with a ball when a clumsy golfer clangs it off a metal railing.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Feb. 2026
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The results are often enervating though sometimes clumsy.—
Eli Enis,
Pitchfork,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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Ma and Pa Kent are the most stereotypical country bumpkins imaginable.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rustic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rustic. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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