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
Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
This striking image of the blood man was taken during totality by photographer Hector Retamal in the sky over Shanghai, as the lunar disk passed through Earth's umbral shadow, at which time Rayleigh Scattering forced it to adopt a deep rusty hue.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 7 Sep. 2025
The upcoming lunar eclipse, which happens when Earth is situated between the moon and sun, causing Earth's shadow to turn the moon a rusty red color, will sadly not be visible from the United States this time.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
This alignment causes Earth’s shadow to fall on the moon’s surface, turning it a rusty red — a phenomenon known as a blood moon.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rusty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
No team can carve the organs out of its fan base with a blowtorch and rusty pliers quite like the Browns.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
This striking image of the blood man was taken during totality by photographer Hector Retamal in the sky over Shanghai, as the lunar disk passed through Earth's umbral shadow, at which time Rayleigh Scattering forced it to adopt a deep rusty hue.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 7 Sep. 2025
The upcoming lunar eclipse, which happens when Earth is situated between the moon and sun, causing Earth's shadow to turn the moon a rusty red color, will sadly not be visible from the United States this time.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
This alignment causes Earth’s shadow to fall on the moon’s surface, turning it a rusty red — a phenomenon known as a blood moon.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Sep. 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 12 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share