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.

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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?

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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

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

I opened the sack just outside the cottage and a thick, dusty powder billowed out.

From Literature

Be honest with yourself: Are you really going to use the dusty waffle maker in your kitchen cabinet?

From MarketWatch

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

From Salon

“When the Emperor Was Divine” takes place in Utah, in “a city of tar-paper barracks behind a barbed-wire fence on a dusty alkaline plain.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• chalky
• dirty
• sandy