adj
fusty
Fusty (adj) means smelling damp and mouldy.
adj
1
Smelling damp and mouldy.
2
Having a stale, stuffy smell, as in a room that needs airing.
"You always knew where to find him if he were wanted; he would be in his study with a book. Very likely it would be an old, old book, some fusty old thing that no one else would dream of reading."
— Virginia Woolf (1915)
3
Stuck in old ways and unwilling to move with the times.
4
Having a taste picked up from the wooden barrel it was stored in.
"Alison had a mouthful of warm, rather fusty wine and lay back on the grass, cupping the back of her head in her hand."
— Caroline Kington, A Tangled Summer (2018)
"Now consider what happens when that flavor is not fresh lemon but scorched garlic or some fusty wine. Unpleasant flavors are distributed at the same molecular level as good ones."
— Susan Volland, Mastering Sauces … (2015)
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like fusty.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Etymology
This word comes from Middle English fusty, made up of fust and the suffix -y. Scots foosty is related.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for fusty
See all rhymes for fusty →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of fusty?
"fusty" (adj) means smelling damp and mouldy.
What is another word for fusty?
Other words for "fusty" include frowsty, musty, standpat, nonprogressive, unprogressive.
What is the opposite of fusty?
The opposite of "fusty" is fresh.
What are the different meanings of fusty?
"fusty" has 3 main meanings: 1. Smelling damp and mouldy; 2. Having a stale, stuffy smell, as in a room that needs airing; 3. Stuck in old ways and unwilling to move with the times.
