rustier; rustiest
1
: affected by or as if by rust
especially
: stiff with or as if with rust
2
: not as good or quick as usual or as in the past because of lack of practice or use
3
a
: of the color rust
b
: dulled in color or appearance by age and use
rusty old boots
4
: outmoded
rusty jokes
Synonyms of rusty
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Adjective (1)
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
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
Hunt keeps things simple and has shockingly not looked rusty at all despite having to patiently bide his time.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
Sluggish start The Horned Frogs looked more rusty than rested coming off the bye week as TCU trailed Iowa State 6-3 at halftime.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Nov. 2025
The front door was rusty and the old plumbing in the odorous bathroom had to handle a lot of vomit.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rusty
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Adjective
Gemini 9 was flying over Baja California, and Cernan could see the blue of the water against the green-brown spit of land and the rusty red surface of the desert southwest stretching in all directions.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
Hunt keeps things simple and has shockingly not looked rusty at all despite having to patiently bide his time.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
Sluggish start The Horned Frogs looked more rusty than rested coming off the bye week as TCU trailed Iowa State 6-3 at halftime.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Nov. 2025
The front door was rusty and the old plumbing in the odorous bathroom had to handle a lot of vomit.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 26 Oct. 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 18 Nov. 2025.
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