adjective
-
having or characterized by a crust, esp having a thick crust
-
having a rude or harsh character or exterior; surly; curt
a crusty remark
noun
Other Word Forms
- crustily adverb
- crustiness noun
Etymology
Origin of crusty
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at crust, -y 1
Explanation
The adjective crusty is good for describing something that is crisp on the outside, like a loaf of French bread. You can describe something with a crunchy outer layer and a softer inside as crusty, but you can also use the word to mean "crabby" or "ill-tempered." Your mean old neighbor who yells at kids to get off his lawn is crusty, for example. While the literal meaning is older, this "cranky or surly" meaning has been around since the 1500s. The root of both is the Latin crusta, "rind, crust, shell or bark."
Vocabulary lists containing crusty
Out of the Dust
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The Secret Garden
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When I Was the Greatest
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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.
“Before the week is out, it’s going to get very, very crusty around here.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Meanwhile, the 3,000-acre Soda Lake, which lies dusty, crusty, dry and white in summer, still had some water in it.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
“The greens are already getting firm, crusty, and bouncy.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
But here’s the thing: that crusty, once-opened jar of kale pesto quietly haunting your condiment shelf?
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026
The school nurse had wanted to clean off the blood, but I’d begged her to leave it alone, and now I kept looking at it, dried and crusty, in the mirror, in amazement.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
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.
