rusty

1 of 2

adjective (1)

ˈrə-stē 

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

5

: hoarse, grating

rustily

ˈrə-stə-lē 

adverb

rustiness

ˈrə-stē-nəs 

noun

rusty

2 of 2

adjective (2)

rus·​ty ˈrə-stē 

rustier; rustiest

chiefly dialectal

: ill-natured, surly

Synonyms

Adjective (1)

• antiquated
• archaic
• dated
• démodé
• demoded
• fossilized
• kaput
• kaputt
• medieval
• mediaeval
• moribund
• mossy
• moth-eaten
• neolithic
• Noachian
• obsolete
• out-of-date
• outdated
• outmoded
• outworn
• passé
• prehistoric
• prehistorical
• Stone Age
• superannuated

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

Adjective

It was filled with rusty pipes and flickering lights, complete with a wall of old control switches. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2024

The simple question is like a Zen koan that can get the rusty gears in your head to start turning. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

The Juggernaut’s color is a rusty amber, veering towards orange. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2024

All had rusty crusty hardware that looked like the underside of the Titanic's anchor. —Marni Jameson, arkansasonline.com, 19 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (2)

alteration of restive

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective (2)

1694, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rusty

adjective

ˈrəs-tē

rustier; rustiest

1

: affected by or as if by rust

2

: less skilled and slow through lack of practice or old age

3

: of the color rust

rustily

-tə-lē

adverb

rustiness

-tē-nəs

noun