Standard Lemma guide

musty

adj · noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmʌsti/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌsti
  • CMU ARPABET: M AH1 S T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Affected by dampness or mould; damp, mildewed, mouldy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fusty

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Having an odour or taste of mould; also (generally), having a stale or unfresh odour or taste.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • musty food musty furniture a musty odour

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fusty

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Characteristic of or relating to mould or mouldiness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Of attitudes, ideas, writing, or other abstract things: no longer fresh or interesting; outdated, stale.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: outmoded

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Of a person: boring and unadventurous; also, old-fashioned, stuck in the past.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fogeyish

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Bad-tempered, grumpy, irritable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Qualifier: archaic except Northern England (northwest)

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Of a male animal such as a camel or an elephant: in musth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A type of snuff with a musty flavour (adjective sense 2).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To turn musty (adjective sense 1 or 2); to must.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

stale and unclean smelling

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fusty, frowsty

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

covered with or smelling of mold

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • moldy bread
  • a moldy (or musty) odor

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: moldy, mouldy

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English musty; further origin uncertain, possibly from one of the following: * From Anglo-Norman muste, moste, variants of moiste, muiste (“moist”), from Old French moiste (“clammy, damp, moist, wet”) (modern French moite (“muggy; sticky, sweaty”)), from a blend of Vulgar Latin *mucidus (from Latin mūcidus (“mouldy, musty”), from Old Latin mūceō (“to be mouldy or musty”) + -idus (suffix meaning ‘tending to’, forming adjectives)) + Latin mustum (“unfermented or partially fermented grape juice, must; new wine”) (from mustus (“fresh; young; unfermented”), from Proto-Indo-European *mus-, *mews- (“damp; moss”)). * From another language derived from the above Latin words (compare the cognates below). * A variant of Middle English mosty, moisti (“damp, humid, wet, moisty; of fruit: moist and juicy”) [and other forms] (perhaps influenced by must (“fruit (usually grape) juice which has been or will be fermented”)), from moist, moiste (“damp, humid; moist, wet; well-irrigated, well-watered; liquid; of ale: new; (figuratively) not withered, fresh; carnal, lascivious; raw, undisciplined”) (from Old French moiste: see above) + -i (suffix forming adjectives). Compare Middle French moisi (“mouldy”), an adjective use of the past participle of moisir (“(to cause) to go mouldy, to moulder”) (modern French moisir), from Latin mūcēre, the present active infinitive of Old Latin mūceō (“to be mouldy or musty”): see above. The English word is analysable as must (“mould; mustiness”) + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives); however, must is thought to be a back-formation from musty. The noun and verb are derived from the adjective. Cognates * Catalan mústic, musti (“wilted, withered; gloomy, sad”) * Galician murcho, mucho (“wilted, withered”) * Old Occitan moste (Occitan moste, mosti, musti (“damp, wet”) (Gascon)) * Portuguese murcho (“wilted, withered; gloomy, sad”) * Spanish mustio (“wilted, withered; gloomy, sad”)

From musth (“time during which male elephants exhibit increased levels of sexual activity and aggressiveness”) + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives).

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: вмири́сан (vmirísan) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Bulgarian: застоял (zastojal) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Chinese Mandarin: 發霉的 (fāméi de) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Czech: zatuchlý — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Czech: ztuchlý — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Finnish: homeinen — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Finnish: tunkkainen — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • French: moisi — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Galician: balorento — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • German: miefig — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • German: muffig — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • German: dumpf — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • German: dumpfig — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • German: faulig — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • German: moderig — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • German: modrig — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • German: schimmelig — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • German: schimmlig — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • German: stockig — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Hungarian: áporodott — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Hungarian: dohos — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Irish: múisiúnta — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Japanese: 黴臭い (kabikusai) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Kazakh: мүңкіген (müñkıgen) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Kazakh: борсыған (borsyğan) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Korean: 곰팡내 나는 (gompangnae naneun) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Latin: mūcidus — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Macedonian: му́влосан (múvlosan) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Macedonian: за́стојан (zástojan) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Macedonian: за́стоен (zástoen) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Māori: kōpuru — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Polish: stęchły — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Romanian: muced — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Russian: за́тхлый (zátxlyj) — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Spanish: mohoso — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Swedish: unken — having an odour or taste of mould; (generally) having a stale or unfresh odour or taste
  • Czech: plísňový — characteristic of or relating to mould or mouldiness
  • Finnish: homeinen — characteristic of or relating to mould or mouldiness
  • Finnish: raivotilassa — of a male animal such as a camel or an elephant: in musth