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

A small-town kid born out of wedlock, he moved from the rustic countryside of Vinci, 30 miles west of Florence, to the sophisticated city to make his way.

From Los Angeles Times

How did I end up here, in what often feels like the Wild West, traveling on this rustic dirt trail — and in a hiking vest?!

From Los Angeles Times

Visibility was at a minimum in this rustic San Gabriel Mountains town on Wednesday as flames from the explosive Bridge fire chewed through several homes and outbuildings.

From Los Angeles Times

Chickens and ducks live in a rustic L-shaped structure in the back and fruit trees line the property’s perimeter.

From Los Angeles Times

The Cedar Grove Lodge is a rustic but charming throwback to simpler times.

From Los Angeles Times