rustic
/ˈrʌstɪk/
adjective
-
Relating to the countryside; simple, plain, and old-fashioned in a way that many people find attractive.
B2gradable
- "They stayed in a rustic cabin in the mountains."B1
- "The restaurant is famous for its rustic charm and home-cooked food."B2
- "What tourists call rustic, the villagers simply call poor."C1
-
Made of rough, unfinished wood or other natural materials, or made in a simple traditional style rather than a refined or modern one; not highly decorated.
B2usually before a noun
- "There was a rustic wooden table in the middle of the kitchen."B1
- "The hotel mixes rustic furniture with modern bathrooms."B2
- "The artist gave the table a rustic finish that made it look handmade."B2
- "She prefers the rustic simplicity of hand-thrown pottery to factory-made china."C1
-
Lacking education, manners, or refinement; unsophisticated (often considered offensive or dated when used about people).
C1dated, often derogatory
- "In the novel, the city characters mock the rustic villagers."B2
- "His rustic manners embarrassed his wife at the dinner party."C1
noun
-
A person who lives in the countryside; a country dweller, especially one regarded as unsophisticated.
C1countableliterary, rare, dated
- "The play portrays the villagers as simple rustics."C1
- "The market brings rustics from the surrounding villages into town."C1
- "He was treated as a rustic by the city visitors, though he knew the land better than they did."C2
Common mistakes
- We live in a rustic area with few shops.→We live in a rural area with few shops.
Use rural to describe the countryside neutrally. Rustic adds the idea of being simple, old-fashioned, and charming — or, about people, unsophisticated.
- a rustical village→a rustic village
Rustical is not a standard adjective; the adjective is always rustic.