musty
1 Americannoun
adjective
-
smelling or tasting old, stale, or mouldy
-
old-fashioned, dull, or hackneyed
musty ideas
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of musty1
1520–30; perhaps variant of moisty ( Middle English; see 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
Explanation
Use the word musty to describe an unclean, stale, and possibly moldy smell. If something smells musty that means it’s probably been sitting in a damp corner without any air for a little too long. Musty smells take time to develop: they’re caused by dampness and mold, and signal some amount of decay. You might also call the smell of a musty old basement rank or foul. But people also use musty to insult someone’s writing, or their ideas. A musty speech wouldn’t just be old-fashioned, it would be old in a bad way: rotten and boring.
Vocabulary lists containing musty
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Hatchet
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New research now shows that the distinctive musty scent of mummified remains holds valuable clues about how these elaborate burial rituals were carried out.
From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026
Edith Wharton is a moth-eaten gown in the musty attic of American literature.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
It was musty and slightly astringent, not unlike the communal bin area in his block of flats.
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025
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.
From Salon • Nov. 11, 2024
Even the flowers could not destroy the musty smell.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
