rustic

[ruhs-tik]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or living in the country, as distinguished from towns or cities; rural.

   Antonyms: urban

2. simple, artless, or unsophisticated.

3. uncouth, rude, or boorish.

4. made of roughly dressed limbs or roots of trees, as garden seats.

5. (of stonework) having the surfaces rough or irregular and the joints sunken or beveled.

noun

1. a country person.

2. an unsophisticated country person.

rustic

/ ˈrʌstɪk, rʌˈstɪsɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or living in the country; rural

2. having qualities ascribed to country life or people; simple; unsophisticated

   rustic pleasures

3. crude, awkward, or uncouth

4. made of untrimmed branches

   a rustic seat

5. denoting or characteristic of a style of furniture popular in England in the 18th and 19th centuries, in which the legs and feet of chairs, tables, etc, were made to resemble roots, trunks, and branches of trees

6. (of masonry) having a rusticated finish

noun

1. a person who comes from or lives in the country

2. an unsophisticated, simple, or clownish person from the country

3. Also called: rusticwork. brick or stone having a rough finish

Other Word Forms

• rustical adjective
• rustically adverb
• rusticly adverb
• rusticalness noun
• rusticness noun
• nonrustic adjective
• nonrustically adverb
• unrustic adjective
• unrustically adverb
• rusticity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rustic¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin rūsticus, equivalent to rūs “the country” ( rural ) + -ticus adjective suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of rustic¹

C16: from Old French rustique , from Latin rūsticus , from rūs the country

Synonym Study

See rural.

Example Sentences

Just south of the highway closure, the rustic, isolated Lucia Lodge and the New Camaldoli Hermitage, a Benedictine monastery, remain open for overnight guests.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

These maritime and rustic resources are reflected in local pasta combinations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Its rustic coastline has already given way to glitzy resorts, cafes and even a racetrack.

Read more on BBC

Across cities like New York and London, that tradition has evolved into a modern kind of “rustic luxe”: homey duck confit and steak au poivre served under soft lighting and mismatched furniture.

Read more on Salon

Some of her pairings feel classic, even rustic — the kind you’d find on a farmhouse table: strawberries with chèvre, pears with blue.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• bucolic 
• country 
• pastoral 
• picturesque 
• simple 
• verdant