crusty

[ kruhs-tee ]

adjective

, crust·i·er, crust·i·est.

1. having a crisp or thick crust:

   a loaf of crusty French bread.

2. of the nature of or resembling a crust.
3. harsh; surly; rude:

   a crusty remark.

   Synonyms: brusque, curt, touchy, prickly, testy

crusty

/ ˈkrʌstɪ /

adjective

1. having or characterized by a crust, esp having a thick crust
2. having a rude or harsh character or exterior; surly; curt

   a crusty remark

noun

1. slang.
   a dirty type of punk or hippy whose lifestyle involves travelling and squatting

Derived Forms

• ˈcrustily, adverb
• ˈcrustiness, noun

Other Words From

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of crusty¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; crust, -y ¹

Example Sentences

Bitcoin has seen stratospheric growth over the past few months so barring an outsized crash, it’s perhaps unlikely that retail investors are going to fully abandon it in favor of buying up crusty old shares of Blockbuster stock.

From TechCrunch

Garnish each bowl with parsley, and serve with crusty bread for dipping.

From Outside Online

Serve the soup with grated Parmesan or pecorino Romano, fresh herbs and crusty bread to soak up the lightly spicy broth.

From Washington Post

The olives are great on their own, and you can dip bits of warm, crusty bread into the oil marinade.

From Eater

It bakes quickly, and the result is a crusty top with a layer of moist dressing below.

From Washington Post

The crusty conservative battle-ax Phyllis Schlafly is giving speeches saying that Obama worships government like a god.

From The Daily Beast

Here, breakfast begins with a crusty cornetto alla crema served by a formal, dinner jacket-wearing waiter.

From The Daily Beast

Sir Mark Sykes, a crusty diplomat who had colluded with the French to give them Damascus, was more defiantly a misogynist.

From The Daily Beast

There are unions and crusty local politicians to contend with, and a lot of competition.

From The Daily Beast

Vacationing “on the Vineyard,” sneers Republican consultant Mark Corallo, adopting an upper-crusty, through-the-nose accent.

From The Daily Beast

She cut it with Henry's jackknife into four quarters, and she and Henry took the two crusty ends themselves.

From Project Gutenberg

If the ground is well burned it will be a little crusty and whitish, and will pulverize beautifully.

From Project Gutenberg

A dry, crusty man, who would never become sub-chief, despite his ability.

From Project Gutenberg

Uncle Jabez came forward, as dusty and crusty an old miller as one might ever expect to see.

From Project Gutenberg

Yes, it is very handsome, no doubt, but too ornate and pie-crusty for my—taste.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• brusque
• cranky
• gruff
• irascible
• prickly
• sarcastic