rusty

¹

[ ruhs-tee ]

adjective

, rust·i·er, rust·i·est.

1. covered with or affected by rust.
2. consisting of or produced by rust.
3. of or tending toward the color rust; rust-colored.
4. faded or shabby; impaired by time or wear, as clothes or drapery.
5. impaired through disuse or neglect:

   My Latin is rusty.

6. having lost agility or alertness; out of practice:

   I am a bit rusty at tennis.

7. (of a sound) grating or harsh.

rusty

²

[ ruhs-tee ]

adjective

, rust·i·er, rust·i·est.

1. restive; stubborn:

   a rusty horse.

2. Chiefly Dialect. ill-tempered; cross.

Rusty

³

[ ruhs-tee ]

noun

1. a male or female given name.

rusty

/ ˈrʌstɪ /

adjective

1. covered with, affected by, or consisting of rust

   a rusty deposit

   a rusty machine

2. of the colour rust
3. discoloured by age

   a rusty coat

4. (of the voice) tending to croak
5. old-fashioned in appearance; seemingly antiquated

   a rusty old gentleman

6. out of practice; impaired in skill or knowledge by inaction or neglect
7. (of plants) affected by the rust fungus

Derived Forms

• ˈrustily, adverb
• ˈrustiness, noun

Other Words From

• rusti·ly adverb
• rusti·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rusty¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English rusti, Old English rūstig; rust, -y ¹

Origin of rusty²

First recorded in 1555–65; apparently special use of rusty ¹, but compare obsolete resty restive

Example Sentences

The Prince of Wales has dusted off what he called his “rusty” rugby skills with some legends of the sport on a visit to a township outside Cape Town.

From BBC

During the day, those dinoflagellates cast a rusty hue across the ocean — often called a “red tide” — which sky cameras on Tuesday captured around the Santa Monica Pier.

From Los Angeles Times

Ani is the only girl at Headquarters who speaks Russian, and her rusty language skills picked up from her grandmother perfectly complement Ivan’s sexual naivete and boyish charm.

From Salon

This kind of ethical nihilism has been a rusty shank to the gut of consumer advocacy journalists the last few years.

From Salon

Displaced people make their homes out of anything they can get hold of – pieces of old fabric, plastic sheets and rusty corrugated iron - all draped over a web of dry sticks.

From BBC