fusty

American  

[fuhs-tee] / ˈfʌs ti /

adjective

fustier, fustiest

1. having a stale smell; moldy; musty.

   fusty rooms that were in need of a good airing.

   Synonyms:

   malodorous, smelly, oppressive, stuffy, close

2. old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like.

   They still live in that fusty, gingerbread house.

3. stubbornly conservative or old-fashioned; fogyish.

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fusty British  

/ ˈfʌstɪ /

adjective

1. smelling of damp or mould; musty

2. old-fashioned in attitude

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Other Word Forms

• fustiness
  noun
• fustily
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of fusty

1350–1400; Middle English fusti, equivalent to fust (noun) < Old French: wine cask, tree trunk (< Latin fūstis stick, pole) + -y ¹

Explanation

Use the adjective fusty to describe something that's covered with dust and smells a little old and musty. Your grandmother's attic is probably full of fusty knickknacks. Fusty is perfect for describing anything from a slightly mildewed quilt at the back of your closet to your brother's camping gear, forgotten in the trunk of his car for months and smelling a little ripe. You can also use it to talk about an antique idea or attitude, like your uncle's fusty, outdated opinions on the roles of men and women. The Old French root of fusty is fusté, "tasting or smelling of the cask," from fuist, "wine cask."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fusty fustier fustiest

Widow’s Bay is indeed a fusty place where everyone drives old cars, uses ancient computers and communicates on walkies and landlines since neither cell phones nor Wi-Fi connectivity works.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

Pilates, which combines stretching and body weight conditioning exercises, has, for some, a fusty image - a gentle and genteel workout for those of advancing years.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

Even in fusty old New England, this sounds like not the kind of thing that would generate much outrage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

Kim is aware that some see his work as a little fusty and nationalistic — “North Korea-esque,” some have called it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2025

But the stupid island was where he was going to spend this night, at least, in soiled clothes that were beginning to smell fusty.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

They are pleasurable to behold, in their own way, if a bit fustier than those of Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc in “Knives Out.”

From Washington Post ● Feb. 7, 2022

Hotel developers have started to replace some of the fustier features, such as mini-bars and room service, with more modern ones, such as nightstands with USB ports and lobby lounges.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 10, 2016

Her main task was to update Roget's often Victorian language, deleting some of the fustier phrases, adding or redefining 20,000 others, including, for example, Watergate, streaking, hype and quadraphonic sound.

From Time Magazine Archive

Savvy viewers, though, will intuit the title’s missing question mark, understanding that Michael Myers, one of cinema’s fustiest boogeymen, is unlikely to remain interred for long.

From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2022

It had been a long, sometimes contentious, multi-hurdled journey from chippy kid to all-time champion who radicalized one of the Whitest and fustiest of sports with her presence.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 3, 2022

To Cambridge partisans, Markle was a wrecking ball masquerading as a smiley face emoji, impatient to bend one of history’s fustiest institutions to her iron will.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 23, 2022

My destination was Black Mountain, the fustiest and most unreconstructed ski area in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2020

Only the fustiest of traditionalists would grouch at the news that Joseph Papp's musical irregulars from the New York Shakespeare Festival have decided to give Boheme an airing out.

From Time Magazine Archive