musty

¹

[muhs-tee]

adjective

mustier, mustiest 

1. having an odor or flavor suggestive of mold, as old buildings, long-closed rooms, or stale food.

   Synonyms: stale, moldy, dank

2. obsolete; outdated; antiquated.

   musty laws.

3. dull; apathetic.

musty

²

[muhs-tee]

noun

plural

musties 

1. (formerly) a kind of snuff having a musty flavor.

musty

/ ˈmʌstɪ /

adjective

1. smelling or tasting old, stale, or mouldy

2. old-fashioned, dull, or hackneyed

   musty ideas

Other Word Forms

• mustily adverb
• mustiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of musty¹

1520–30; perhaps variant of moisty ( Middle English; moist, -y ¹ ) with loss of i before s as in master

Origin of musty²

First recorded in 1700–10; noun use of musty ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of musty¹

C16: perhaps a variant of obsolete moisty, influenced by _must ³

Example Sentences

It was musty and slightly astringent, not unlike the communal bin area in his block of flats.

Read more on BBC

The sharp tang of the tar and the musty, earthy smell of the observation pits meant a day of play and exploration.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Despite a series of renovations several years ago, the park still had a bygone, musty air.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Although the troubles of our world never bled into “What We Do in the Shadows,” the story never shied away from politics within its own musty, rotten realm.

Read more on Salon

In conclusion, she says with more than a hint of sass, “For all the cranky, musty, dusty adults out there who think little kids shouldn’t be using skin care ... get it together!”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• airless 
• ancient 
• crumbling www.thesaurus.com
• dank 
• decrepit 
• fetid 
• moldy 
• putrid 
• smelly 
• squalid 
• stale 
• stuffy