rustic Definition
rus·tic (rus′tik)
adjective
- of or living in the country, as distinguished from cities or towns; rural
- lacking refinement, elegance, polish, or sophistication; specif.,
- simple, plain, or artless
- rough, awkward, uncouth, or boorish
- made of rough, bark-covered branches or roots rustic furniture
- Masonry having a rough surface or irregular, deeply sunk, deliberately conspicuous joints; rusticated
Etymology: LME rustyk < MFr rustique < L rusticus < rus, the country: see rural
noun
a country person, esp. one regarded as unsophisticated, simple, awkward, uncouth, etc.
rustic Related Forms
rustic Synonyms
rustic
modif.
Rural
agricultural, pastoral, agrarian; see rural.Boorish
countrified, provincial, unsophisticated, rude, uncouth, unpolished, inelegant, awkward, coarse, rough, dull, loutish, lubberly, clownish, ungainly, lumpish, ignorant, uneducated. Antonyms
cultured*, refined*, sophisticated. * Suggesting the idyllic qualities of rural places or people
sylvan, verdant, unadorned, idyllic, bucolic, artless, simple, plain, honest, unsophisticated, pleasing, charming, picturesque, pastoral, natural, unaffected, sturdy; see also pleasant 2.Antonyms
complex*, urbane*, sophisticated. See syn. study at rural.rural.
rustic Usage Examples
Converse of object
have: Has a rustic, lived in, rural feel.
Adjective modifier
- simple: Set in a simple rustic, yet mechanically advanced world.
- little: My memory says they were big, mouth filling characterful wines that were a little rustic.
- more: For a more rustic look they can be antiqued.
- charming: It's a world of charming rustics, sinister barons and wicked, wicked stepmothers.
Modifies a noun
- charm: You have been warned: Rustic charms come in many guises!
- idyll: The Independent May 13th 2004 Is it really possible for a city dweller to create a rustic idyll in their back garden?
- farmhouse: Choose from manor houses and mansions to rustic farmhouses and cottages, with villas abroad.
- simplicity: True, Tchaikovsky wanted his Pushkin opera to be staged with rustic simplicity.
- ambiance: The cottages retain a traditional, rustic French ambiance.
- inn: Your overnight stop is in a rustic inn at the heart of a Thames village.
Modifying Another Word
- charmingly: It's set in a charmingly rustic village in Yorkshire and centers around three couples prominent in the community.
- typically: Enjoy what is typically rustic French combined with modern facilities.
- rather: The fan assists with the baking process but produces a rather rustic uneven top crust.
- quite: Most of Pila's hotels are ski-in/ski-out, and some of them can be quite rustic, which appeals to many visitors.
- very: Overnight in a very rustic hotel in San Juan.
- attractively: Both are attractively rustic, the first lively with concentrated smooth honey flavors, the second more mature.
Noun used with modifier
bit: Thus, although its amenities may be a bit rustic, the Green Tortoise attends assiduously to a wide variety of desirable creature comforts.
Used with adjective complement
look: It is of steel girder construction but still looks quite rustic because of its timber balustrade.
Preposition: in
style: The high-quality gîtes, which are rustic in style, are 2 kilometers from the riding center.
Browse dictionary entries near rustic
- ‹ rust-colored
- ‹ Rust Belt
- ‹ rust
- ‹ Russophile
- ‹ Russo-
- ‹ Russki
- ‹ Russify
- ‹ Russianize
- ‹ Russian wolfhound
- ‹ Russian Turkestan

