rustier; rustiest
1
: affected by or as if by rust
especially
: stiff with or as if with rust
2
: inept and slow through lack of practice or old age
3
a
: of the color rust
b
: dulled in color or appearance by age and use
rusty old boots
4
: outmoded
Synonyms
Examples of rusty in a Sentence
Adjective (1)
rusty laws still on the books because no one bothered to repeal them
in a rusty voice the old man ordered us off his land
Recent Examples on the Web
Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 23 June 2024
So does snacking obsessively while pondering how an unmarried father of 10 hawking rusty trucks and exploding cars gets to lecture women on birth control.
—Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 23 June 2024
David Hall’s old residence had rusty sloped roofs, and Hall-McGuire had taken it upon herself to wrap a tarp around the home to protect it.
—Michael S. Williamson, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
Many of the more than 400 species of native bees are also threatened, such as the rusty patch bumble bee.
—Siddhant Pusdekar, Journal Sentinel, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for rusty 
Adjective
But Moira had buttoned up her coat already and stepped out onto the rickety, rusty platform.
—Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 23 June 2024
So does snacking obsessively while pondering how an unmarried father of 10 hawking rusty trucks and exploding cars gets to lecture women on birth control.
—Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 23 June 2024
David Hall’s old residence had rusty sloped roofs, and Hall-McGuire had taken it upon herself to wrap a tarp around the home to protect it.
—Michael S. Williamson, Washington Post, 22 June 2024
Many of the more than 400 species of native bees are also threatened, such as the rusty patch bumble bee.
—Siddhant Pusdekar, Journal Sentinel, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for rusty
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rusty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rusty
Cite this Entry
“Rusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rusty. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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