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Synonyms

crusty

American  
[kruhs-tee] / ˈkrʌs ti /

adjective

crustier, crustiest

  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 British  
/ 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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • crustily adverb
  • crustiness noun

Etymology

Origin of crusty

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There is no proven link between the "uniquely colourful and crusty" speeches of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte and the murders he is accused of, his defence lawyer told the International Criminal Court on Thursday.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

Irregular, varied layers of colored dots frame an immense, crusty center expanse with a flourish of widely spaced dots against ocher.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

On Saturday, locals carrying protest signs and occasionally blowing whistles patrolled streets under gray skies with patches of crusty snow piled up at corners, looking for ICE convoys.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

I tore through half a bottle in a week—drizzling it over salads, spooning it onto seafood, and, of course, dunking torn-up hunks of crusty French bread.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025

Hodge had been an army surgeon during the Revolutionary War, and while stubborn and crusty in his ways, he was a respected physician.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.