rustier; rustiest
1
: affected by or as if by rust
especially
: stiff with or as if with rust
2
: inept and slow through lack of practice or old age
3
a
: of the color rust
b
: dulled in color or appearance by age and use
rusty old boots
4
: outmoded
Examples of rusty in a Sentence
Adjective (1)
rusty laws still on the books because no one bothered to repeal them
in a rusty voice the old man ordered us off his land
Recent Examples on the Web
Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 24 Apr. 2025
Some breeze-block homes – like theirs – are in poor shape but habitable, their rusty satellite dishes gazing at hazy blue skies.
—Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2025
But the Razorbacks squeezed into the N.C.A.A. tournament, allowing Boogie the time to get back in the action, even as a slightly rusty substitute off the bench.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Over billions of years this rusty material has been broken down into dust and spread all around Mars by the wind, a process that continues today.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rusty
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Adjective
With warm wood and rusty hues complementing the wraparound sofa that anchors the living room, old meets new in this Old Hollywood space.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 24 Apr. 2025
Some breeze-block homes – like theirs – are in poor shape but habitable, their rusty satellite dishes gazing at hazy blue skies.
—Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2025
But the Razorbacks squeezed into the N.C.A.A. tournament, allowing Boogie the time to get back in the action, even as a slightly rusty substitute off the bench.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Over billions of years this rusty material has been broken down into dust and spread all around Mars by the wind, a process that continues today.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rusty
Cite this Entry
“Rusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rusty. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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