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View synonyms for rusty

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. 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


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Derived Forms

  • ˈrustily, adverb
  • ˈrustiness, noun

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Other Words From

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

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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

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Example Sentences

But, still, week after week, Addison lived in a Dili hostel waiting for the rusty wheels of Timorese justice to set her free.

Across the world, a rusty World War II fort floats off the English coast.

Rusty and squeaky, in need of maintenance and oil, the tank had not lost its destructive skills.

But having taken six years away from the campaign trail, her political skills are naturally a bit rusty.

Of course, this causes the nail clippers to oxidize and the water turns rusty, but it boils.

When pneumonia occurs during the course of a chronic bronchitis, the characteristic rusty red sputum may not appear.

A student, showing the Museum at Oxford to a party, among other things produced a rusty sword.

Mademoiselle was poking at a rusty stove that smoked a little and warmed the room indifferently.

It stood on rusty broken rails which were nearly covered with dead leaves.

The exploring party started slowly down the rusty track, with the dog hopping happily on three legs.

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rust-throughrusty blackbird