dusty

1 of 2

adjective

ˈdə-stē 

dustier; dustiest

1

: covered or abounding with dust

2

: consisting of dust : powdery

3

: resembling dust

4

: lacking vitality : dry

dusty scholarship

5

British : unsatisfactory

—used especially in the phrases dusty answer and not so dusty

dustily

ˈdə-stə-lē 

adverb

dustiness

ˈdə-stē-nəs 

noun

dustiness

2 of 2

noun

dust·​i·​ness -tēnə̇s 

-tin-

plural -es

: the quality or state of being dusty

Synonyms of dusty

Adjective

• fine
• powdery

Examples of dusty in a Sentence

Adjective

He pulled dusty candlesticks from the shelf.

His new tie is a dusty blue.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Video shared by an activist at the scene, Amit Orfali, shows the French mayor, wearing a tricolor sash, leaning against a vehicle while sitting on the dusty ground. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

The production is a rattling junk drawer of circuit-bent thrift-store keyboards, dusty drum machines, and unintuitive loops, and KTO combines them into head-scratching, shouldn’t-work grooves. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026

Coming up from the intertidal, out of the dusty salt wind with his latest find under one arm, Tennent met a woman on her way down. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026

Hmad guides the donkeys along a dusty trail lined with almond and date trees, while Tehlou and Saâdia have the rougher task of off-roading with the herd. — Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dusty

• dusty miller

Rhymes for dusty

• crusty
• gusty
• lusty
• musty
• rusty
• trusty

Kids Definition

dusty

adjective

ˈdəs-tē 

dustier; dustiest

1

: filled or covered with dust

2

: resembling dust

dusty soil

dustily

-tə-lē 

adverb

dustiness

-tē-nəs 

noun