crusty

[ kruhs-tee ]

adjective

, crust·i·er, crust·i·est.

1. having a crisp or thick crust:

   a loaf of crusty French bread.

2. of the nature of or resembling a crust.
3. harsh; surly; rude:

   a crusty remark.

   Synonyms: brusque, curt, touchy, prickly, testy

crusty

/ ˈkrʌstɪ /

adjective

1. having or characterized by a crust, esp having a thick crust
2. having a rude or harsh character or exterior; surly; curt

   a crusty remark

noun

1. slang.
   a dirty type of punk or hippy whose lifestyle involves travelling and squatting

Derived Forms

• ˈcrustily, adverb
• ˈcrustiness, noun

Other Words From

• crusti·ly adverb
• crusti·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of crusty¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; crust, -y ¹

Example Sentences

I imagine that when you imagine a TV critic, you picture some hard-boiled, crusty, even heartless type.

From Los Angeles Times

He was a crusty old sports editor, Sam Glassman and I owe so much to, to him from a very early age.

From Slate

Photos and videos of Kruse’s dogs with bleeding open wounds, decaying teeth and crusty infected eyes are documented in federal inspection reports.

From Los Angeles Times

An oval abrasion on a French bulldog’s ear was rimmed by crusty discharge.

From Los Angeles Times

As her mother is about to make the very bad decision of re-marrying to a tiny pony sporting money-grubber, Rory, Beetlejuice saves the day as much as a crusty sex pest is capable, possessing the Deetz family once again in an effort to break up the wedding and claim Lydia as his own bride — an effort that only works in part, after Lydia disses him once again.

From Salon

Related Words

• brusque
• cranky
• gruff
• irascible
• prickly
• sarcastic