musty
/ˈmʌsti
/adjective (mustier, mustiest)
1Having a stale, mouldy, or damp smell: a dark musty library...
- He smelled musty and damp, like the cardboard box he presumably lived in.
- The bungalow was damp with a musty smell but Rod didn't care.
- I had never set foot in a courtroom before; it was cold and smelled like damp, musty wood.
Synonyms
mouldy, stale, fusty, damp, dank, mildewed, mildewy, decayed, smelly, stuffy, airless, unventilated;
British frowsty
North American informal funky
rare mucid
1.1Having a stale taste: the beer tasted sour, thin, and musty...
- The air tasted musty and stale so I hooked the corner of the canvas cover up so the air could flow through.
- He wiped the sleep from his eyes and swallowed, trying to clear the musty taste from his mouth.
- Furthermore, discerning customers would notice the taste, which is known to be uniquely earthy, musty and almost syrupy.
1.2Lacking freshness or vitality; old-fashioned: the musty formalities of the occasion...
- The argument did not gain stature from its antiquity; that only made it musty and tired.
Synonyms
unoriginal, uninspired, unimaginative, hackneyed, derivative, stale, flat, tired, banal, trite, clichéd, dry as dust, old-fashioned, antiquated, antediluvian, out of date, outdated, hoary, moth-eaten, worn out, threadbare, out of fashion, behind the times, obsolete;
French passé, vieux jeu
informal old hat, hacky
Derivatives
mustily
- The smell of Bibles hung mustily in the air.
- Having settled up with the owner of the boatyard, we found ‘Edward’ sitting mustily in the middle of an unmown oval of grass.
- The lascivious, long legged tramp is getting her own ‘Pin-Up’ line of dolls, inspired by the fifty year old cheesecake calendars still mustily crumbling upon the wall of our grandfathers’ garages.
mustiness
/ noun ...- The displays in these memorials give an impression of mustiness and hostility to innovation.
- They will not only impart a nice fragrance but will also help to eliminate mustiness and staleness.
- At low levels, it creates a faint mustiness that leaves less-than-confident drinkers believing they just don't appreciate the nuances of wine.
Origin
Early 16th century: perhaps an alteration of moisty 'moist', influenced by must2.