rusty
adjective
covered with or affected by rust.
rusty
1 American
[ruhs-tee]
/ ˈrʌs ti /
adjective
rustier,
rustiest
-
covered with or affected by rust.
-
consisting of or produced by rust.
-
of or tending toward the color rust; rust-colored.
-
faded or shabby; impaired by time or wear, as clothes or drapery.
-
impaired through disuse or neglect.
My Latin is rusty.
-
having lost agility or alertness; out of practice.
I am a bit rusty at tennis.
-
(of a sound) grating or harsh.
rusty
2
American
[ruhs-tee]
/ ˈrʌs ti /
Rusty
3
American
[ruhs-tee]
/ ˈrʌs ti /
noun
rusty
British
/ ˈrʌstɪ /
adjective
-
covered with, affected by, or consisting of rust
a rusty machine
a rusty deposit
-
of the colour rust
-
discoloured by age
a rusty coat
-
(of the voice) tending to croak
-
old-fashioned in appearance; seemingly antiquated
a rusty old gentleman
-
out of practice; impaired in skill or knowledge by inaction or neglect
-
(of plants) affected by the rust fungus
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of rusty1
First recorded before 900; Middle English rusti, Old English rūstig; see origin at rust, -y 1
Origin of rusty2
First recorded in 1555–65; apparently special use of rusty 1, but compare obsolete resty restive
Explanation
If your German is rusty, it's like the bike you left out in the rain too many times that turned brown and flakey on the metal parts. Like your bike, your German skills became rusty, meaning they're suffering from neglect. You can also describe yourself as rusty: you used to do flips on your skateboard, but you haven't practiced in a while and now you're a little rusty. Rusty can also refer to the color of rust, which is a reddish-brown — a rusty-colored dog, for instance. Anything made of iron or steel that you leave outside in the elements is likely to oxidize and become rusty, covered with rust.
Vocabulary lists containing rusty
Beowulf vocabulary
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Restaurant Critic Pete Wells' Yummy Words
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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.
Maria says lots of children get the opportunity to pet Rusty and learn to walk him, something which brings joy to the local area.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
He has been studying equine therapy and helping train Rusty.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
Leah is one of the many children who volunteer with Rusty.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
Rusty Hicks, chair of the California Democratic Party, said “every campaign is entitled to run the race that they believe matches their story,” even if that means questioning the party’s past performance.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026
But soon enough the Rusty Ruins appeared below, and the board’s metal detector guided Tally to the natural vein of iron.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.
