gusty
1 Americanadjective
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blowing or coming in gusts, as wind, rain, or storms.
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affected or marked by gusts of wind, rain, etc..
a gusty day.
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occurring or characterized by sudden bursts or outbursts, as sound or laughter.
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full of meaningless, pretentious talk.
gusty speechmaking.
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vigorous; hearty; zestful.
a gusty woman.
adjective
adjective
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blowing or occurring in gusts or characterized by blustery weather
a gusty wind
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given to sudden outbursts, as of emotion or temperament
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of gusty1
First recorded in 1590–1600; gust 1 + -y 1; gusty 1 def. 5 perhaps gust(o) + -y 1
Origin of gusty2
Explanation
Gusty, the adjective, describes what the wind is like when leaves are swirling around in the air, garbage blowing all over city streets, and hats refusing to stay put. Read this word too quickly and you may think it says gutsy — an entirely different word. See the base gust — as in "a gust of wind" — and you'll get more than a hint as to what gusty means. Gusty typically relates to the weather — describing blustery winds, sudden outbursts, strong on-again/ off-again blasts of cold air. Go outside the box and use it to depict a person's stormy, emotional behavior, especially if he has quick, sudden outbursts: "He was given to gusty behavior whenever you mentioned her name."
Vocabulary lists containing gusty
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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.
Santa Barbara is also expected to see gusty sundowner winds across its southwest coast in the evenings this week, with gusts of up to 45 to 50 mph, Fielding said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026
"It was very tricky with the winds because it was very gusty, unpredictable, and to build the car to pole was very satisfying."
From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026
There is also likely to be frequent lightning, hail and gusty winds.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
Fanned by gusty winds, it quickly pushed up the nearby hills, scorching some 900 acres by 5 p.m., according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
An afternoon breeze had kicked itself into a gusty wind, and the shade on the window tapped out a steady beat that was pleasant and reassuring.
From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies
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.
