moustached

IPA/ˈmʌstæʃt/
IPA/ˈmʌstæʃt/

moustached — adjective

  • moustachedpositive
  • more moustachedcomparative
  • most moustachedsuperlative

1. having a moustache growing on the upper lip

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

having a moustache growing on the upper lip

Example

A moustached gentleman held the door open for the elderly woman.

attributive position before noun: moustached + gentleman

Trang smiled at the old photograph of her moustached uncle in military uniform.

Common collocations
  • moustached man
  • moustached gentleman
  • moustached soldier
  • moustached face
  • moustached waiter
Synonyms
  • mustached

    American English spelling of the same word

  • mustachioed

    more elaborate and slightly old-fashioned; suggests a larger or more styled moustache

  • hirsute

    formal and broader in meaning — refers to having hair on the face or body in general, not just the upper lip

Antonyms
  • clean-shaven

    describes a man with no facial hair at all

  • beardless

    describes a man without a beard (may or may not have a moustache)

Grammar Patterns

a moustached + noun

noun + be + moustached

Usage Note

Moustached is the British English spelling; the American English equivalent is mustached. The word is less common than the noun moustache and is typically used to describe a person's appearance rather than the hair itself.

Common Mistakes

The man has a moustached.
The man has a moustache.
Moustached is an adjective, not a noun. Use the noun moustache after 'has a'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Moustached and its American variant mustached are the most direct and neutral ways to say that a man has a moustache. Mustachioed is rarer and carries a slightly theatrical or old-fashioned flavour — it often suggests a thick, stylish, or curled moustache of the kind seen in 19th-century portraits. Hirsute is a formal, technical word that refers to general hairiness of the face or body rather than specifically the upper lip; calling someone hirsute implies considerable hair growth everywhere, not just a trimmed moustache. For everyday description, moustached is the clearest choice: 'The man was moustached and wore a tweed jacket.' If the moustache is especially large or ornate, mustachioed adds character: 'a flamboyant, mustachioed magician.'

mustached ↗mustachioed ↗hirsute ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

  • a man with a moustached face

Etymology

GreekItalianFrenchEnglish

Moustached is formed by adding the suffix -ed (meaning 'having') to the noun moustache. The noun entered English in the 16th century from French moustache, which itself came from Italian mostaccio, ultimately tracing back to Greek mustax meaning 'upper lip' or 'hair on the upper lip'.