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 called: rusticwork. brick or stone having a rough finish

Other Word Forms

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

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

Chopping wood outside his character’s rustic cabin in the middle of nowhere, he drives the ax down again and again, ferociously focused on the task at hand.

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I first tried a rustic version — ham and cheese tucked haphazardly among the buttered, glazed dough balls — and it was lovely in a messy, casserole-ish way.

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Little dots, dollops, or simple lines create rustic visual interest and, more importantly, flavor.

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The off-white form of the rustic terracotta jar, shattered over millenniums and fastidiously reassembled, is elegantly decorated in rich brown and black designs, including bursts of rosettes and abstract squiggles.

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I love Arlington Garden, a small, tucked-away garden with cool topiaries, sculptures and a rustic feel.

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Related Words

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