Musty — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Musty (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. having an unpleasant smell

   "musty old gym socks"

   similar: fetid, foul, frowsty (chiefly British), frowsy, funky, fusty, malodorous, noisome, rank, reeking, reeky, ripe, smelly, stenchy, stinking, stinky, strong
   related: putrid, rancid, skunky, stale, bad, disgusting, offensive, repulsive, revolting, vile, decayed, decaying, decomposed, decomposing, rotted, rotten, rotting, spoiled, spoiling, dirty, filthy, nasty, noxious, odiferous, odoriferous, odorous
   opposite: ambrosial, aromatic, fragrant, perfumed, redolent, savory, scented, sweet
   near: flowery, fruity, spicy, woodsy

2. used or heard so often as to be dull

   "the musty prose of writers who use the same expressions over and over"

   similar: banal, cliché, clichéd, cobwebby, commonplace, hack, hackney, hackneyed, moth-eaten, obligatory, shopworn, stale, stereotyped, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn
   related: twice-told, bromidic, platitudinal, platitudinous, canned, cardboard, conventional, cookie-cutter, derivative, imitative, ready-made, tried-and-true, unimaginative, uninspired, unoriginal, normal, ordinary, rote, routine, standard, stock, typical, usual, arid, barren, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monotonous, numbing, old, pedantic, pedestrian, ponderous, prosaic, stodgy, stuffy, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, undramatic, uninteresting, vapid, wearisome, weary, wearying, old-fashioned, old hat
   opposite: fresh, new, novel, original, unclichéd, unhackneyed
   near: animating, energizing, enlivening, exciting, galvanizing, invigorating, stimulating, absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting, atypical, extraordinary, strange, unaccustomed, uncommon, unfamiliar, unheard-of, unknown, unprecedented, unusual, pathbreaking, pioneering, trailblazing