musty

/'mʌsti/

Thân thiện

The old book in the attic had a musty smell.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Stale and unclean smelling: Having an unpleasant, damp, and stale odor, often due to a lack of fresh air or age.
   • Covered with or smelling of mold: Having the characteristic smell or presence of mold or mildew.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The old books in the basement had a musty smell.
  • We opened the windows to air out the musty room.
  • The towels felt damp and musty after being left in the washing machine.

Advanced Usage

• Figurative Use (Old-fashioned or Stale): While the primary meaning is physical, "musty" can be used metaphorically to describe ideas, traditions, or institutions that seem old-fashioned, stale, or out of date.
  • The professor's lectures were dismissed by some students as musty and irrelevant.
  • He was tired of the musty traditions that governed the old club.

Variants and Related Words

• Mustiness (noun): The state or quality of being musty.
  • The mustiness of the attic was overwhelming.

Synonyms

• Moldy: Covered with or smelling of mold.
• Stale: No longer fresh; tasting or smelling old.
• Fusty: Smelling stale, damp, or stuffy; (figuratively) old-fashioned.
• Dank: Unpleasantly damp and cold.

Antonyms

• Fresh: Newly made or obtained; not stale or musty.
• Aired: Exposed to fresh air.
• Fragrant: Having a pleasant or sweet smell.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "Smell musty": A common collocation describing the odor.
  • The cellar smelled musty after the flood.
• "Feel musty": Can describe a damp, stale tactile sensation.
  • The clothes in the trunk felt musty to the touch.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. stale and unclean smelling
2. covered with or smelling of mold
   • moldy bread
   • a moldy (or musty) odor

Từ đồng nghĩa

• fusty
• frowsty
• moldy
• mouldy