mustiness
1
7.2
- noun
- /ˈmʌstɪnəs/
:
moho
- As soon as I entered the attic, I was hit by the mustiness of old books and forgotten memories.
- smell the mustiness
Examples
-
He liked the atmosphere of these second-hand bookshops, the faint feeling of mustiness.
Fiction book (2001) -
It was the same place as before: he could hear the drip of water and smell the mustiness of wet iron and stone.
Fiction book (1992) -
I do not know why the room seemed so strangely dead; it had already the mustiness of a museum.
Academic text (1990) -
Mustiness wafted down from above.
Fiction book (2000) -
No one slammed the door on the mustiness of an empty closet.
Fiction book (1996) -
Besides, the mustiness of the antiquarian attaches to them.
Academic text (1991) -
The mustiness of the bedroom, a result of the dampness in the air, would permeate the robe that hung in the closet, even if it were not worn, so it had to be washed regularly; otherwise, it would become mildewed.
Fiction book (1995) -
The mustiness of the damp basement made it clear that it had not been used in years.
-
She couldn't stand the mustiness of the clothes that had been stored away for too long.
Synonyms
80
3.5
A very bad strong smell that makes you feel sick
2
3.4
A bad, stale smell from damp or old things
2
2.8
Air that smells old and feels heavy
1
4.2
Air that smells stale and damp in a closed room
1
3.9
Food, air, or other things that are no longer fresh and smell bad
1
7.2
A strong, very bad smell from sewage or rotten garbage
1
9.0
A very strong bad smell that makes you feel sick
1
4.3
A strong unpleasant smell that makes people move away
A bad, stale smell from old, damp things
A stale, musty smell from old wood or damp rooms
A stale, musty smell in a room or object
A bad, stale smell or taste on food and in rooms that shows rot
An unpleasant damp smell in places like basements or cellars
A strong, nasty smell like rotten food that makes you feel sick
A very unpleasant taste or smell that makes you reject food
A very strong unpleasant smell that makes people feel sick
A very strong bad air that makes you think of rotting things or disease
A strong, unpleasant smell that people dislike
A strong, unpleasant smell that is easy to notice
Antonyms
How Musty
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Mustiness comes from an old noun must, which named the fresh juice of grapes and the damp smell in wine cellars. So mustiness means the 'stale' or 'moldy' smell of old, closed places.