dusty

[ duhs-tee ]

adjective

, dust·i·er, dust·i·est.

1. filled, covered, or clouded with or as with dust.
2. of the nature of dust; powdery.
3. of the color of dust; having a grayish cast.

dusty

/ ˈdʌstɪ /

adjective

1. covered with or involving dust
2. like dust in appearance or colour
3. (of a colour) tinged with grey; pale

   dusty pink

4. a dusty answer
   an unhelpful or bad-tempered reply
5. not so dusty informal.
   not too bad; fairly well: often in response to the greeting how are you?

Derived Forms

• ˈdustiness, noun
• ˈdustily, adverb

Other Words From

• dusti·ly adverb
• dusti·ness noun
• un·dusty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dusty¹

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; dust, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Young boys turn cartwheels, women in vivid head-to-toe veils walk purposively past, and donkey carts ferrying water drums trot along dusty dirt roads.

From BBC

He moved into his property 13 years ago and was met with dusty concrete floors.

From BBC

Like a tornado touching down on dusty ground, the deepest extent of the vortex stirs up the hazy atmosphere to create the dense spots Wong and Tsubota observed.

From Science Daily

The answer might lie on the dusty surface of the Halicarnassus relief.

From Salon

Most of the scenes feel far away from us, like vistas glimpsed through the dusty windows of a train.

From New York Times

Related Words

• chalky
• dirty
• sandy