fusty

[ fuhs-tee ]

adjective

, fus·ti·er, fus·ti·est.

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 old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like: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

fusty

/ ˈfʌstɪ /

adjective

1. smelling of damp or mould; musty
2. old-fashioned in attitude

Derived Forms

• ˈfustily, adverb
• ˈfustiness, noun

Other Words From

• fusti·ly adverb
• fusti·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fusty¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fusty¹

C14: from fust wine cask, from Old French: cask, tree trunk, from Latin fūstis cudgel, club

Example Sentences

Recounting an oversight hearing on Capitol Hill, Gluesenkamp Perez describes looking over the witnesses with their fusty manner and fancy pedigrees and wondering if any had ever turned a wrench.

From Los Angeles Times

In the 1990s, mayor Richard Riordan raised private millions to spruce up the fusty place to make it fit for official receptions and events.

From Los Angeles Times

That breach of cricketing etiquette, in an era of fusty formality, was sufficient to slightly irk Bradman as he walked from his crease.

From BBC

We attempt to ban TikTok, control libraries and reading lists, crack down on campus protests; we fret over mental health, body image, test scores, extracurricular activities; we become the anxious helicopter parents and fusty scolds we once rebelled against.

From Los Angeles Times

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 Literature