rustic

American  

[ruhs-tik] / ˈrʌs tɪk /

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 British  

/ 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

Related Words

See rural.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of rustic

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

Example Sentences

All it takes is a few clicks of her remote to crank up one of the many flaming yule logs that TV offers, and voila: a maintenance-free, rustic glow is achieved.

From Salon

Heading into the bedroom, Jenner showcased the wooden ceiling beams, which help add to the rustic style of the home—even though it is, technically, brand new.

From MarketWatch

Artists have always been open to using the most advanced tools, because the greatness of the work has never depended on the rustic purity of their instruments.

From The Wall Street Journal

The other day, I noticed that a surprising number of women I know are following the Instagram account of a woman in the Scottish countryside whose horses picturesquely wander into her cottage’s rustic kitchen.

From The Wall Street Journal

Enchanted with Lenox, Mass., and the rustic charm of the Berkshires, they bought a large portion of the historic Wheatleigh estate.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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