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.

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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

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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

At home, I keep it rustic and dollop generous mounds of meringue onto lined baking trays, then use the back of a teaspoon to shape them.

From The Wall Street Journal

Along steep and narrow trails, a few rustic taverns for wine guzzling seem incongruous in the midst of all of the ruggedness.

From The Wall Street Journal

Upon entering the home, guests are greeted with an open floor plan that is accentuated by dark wood flooring and rustic charm.

From MarketWatch

If I didn’t have the fancy, rustic crocks to serve the soup in, or restaurant-quality stock there was no point in even trying at home.

From The Wall Street Journal

At first, it was the basics: crusty rounds, lean baguettes, rustic grainy loaves, the kind of bread that made a meal stretch.

From Salon

Related Words

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