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Synonyms

dusty

American  
[duhs-tee] / ˈdʌs ti /

adjective

dustier, dustiest

  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 British  
/ 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. an unhelpful or bad-tempered reply

  5. informal not too bad; fairly well: often in response to the greeting how are you?

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • dustily adverb
  • dustiness noun
  • undusty adjective

Etymology

Origin of dusty

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

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.

Walking around the dusty streets of Tuntou you see evidence of lantern making everywhere you go.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Like every other detail here, that implicit complaint is dusty and ossified, and Mr. Williamson’s formerly wised-up dialogue has been supplanted by a grinding earnestness, with everyone constantly asking about one another’s feelings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Her lips are a neutral dusty mauve, her bass guitar a lustrous red.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

The glow comes from a dusty disk that the star expelled only a few hundred years ago.

From Science Daily • Feb. 13, 2026

“Oh no,” he said, swallowing against his dusty throat.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

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.