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 calledrusticwork brick or stone having a rough finish

Derived Forms

• rusticity, noun
• ˈrustically, adverb

Other Words From

• rusti·cal adjective
• rusti·cal·ly rustic·ly adverb
• rusti·cal·ness rustic·ness noun
• non·rustic adjective
• non·rusti·cal·ly adverb
• un·rustic adjective
• un·rusti·cal·ly adverb

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

The wood is reclaimed so the look is rustic, and may include a few inconsistencies.

From Popular-Science

I’d hoped she would approve of my rustic addition to our home.

From Outside Online

It’s is a mix of 29 traditional hotel rooms and 72 rustic cabins and multiroom units, all of which surround a main lodge building with a dining room and a taproom.

From Outside Online

While more upscale than Big Meadows thanks to a recent renovation, Skyland also offers small one-bedroom cabins that are more rustic.

From Outside Online

Small in size, this potted plant is a stylish option—with its attractive rustic handmade concrete pot.

From Popular-Science

He juices with vegetables, romances on Tinder, and shops for rustic furniture built with reclaimed materials.

From The Daily Beast

It has a lovely rustic feel with plank wooden floors and uncovered fireplaces.

From The Daily Beast

Accommodation is provided on-site, in a log cabin that's either charmingly or alarmingly rustic, depending on your tastes.

From The Daily Beast

With a beautiful location and rustic charm, a weekend in Stowe, Vermont can cure any life woes…especially during the fall.

From The Daily Beast

A rustic-chic silver-mining town of about 2,500 people, Telluride is surrounded on all sides by red-faced mountains.

From The Daily Beast

They found the old woman alone, knitting in her rustic chair in her floral bower on the roof.

From Project Gutenberg

A very pretty picture in a frame-work of brown and green, thought the old man in the rustic chair on the piazza.

From Project Gutenberg

This rustic porch, overhung with luxuriant vines, evidently served as the family sitting-room.

From Project Gutenberg

It had cushioned seats all round, a rustic table at one side, and stained glass, tiny-paned windows.

From Project Gutenberg

I drew her to a desolate rustic bench and put my arm round her and let her sob herself out.

From Project Gutenberg