adjective
-
having or characterized by robust health
-
strong or invigorating
a lusty brew
-
lustful
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lusty
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at lust, -y 1
Explanation
Someone who's lusty is healthy and passionate. A lusty young farm worker is strong and energetic, tackling each new challenge enthusiastically. You can be lusty in love, yearning for or infatuated with another person. You can also be lusty for life, filled with great strength and eager to live each day to the fullest. As time has gone by, lust and lusty have gained the "full of desire" meaning and lost some of the thirteenth century "joyful" sense of the words.
Vocabulary lists containing lusty
"Of Plymouth Plantation," Vocabulary from the historical account
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Tempest," Vocabulary from Acts 1 and 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
See Examples For:
Fans who had previously been happy cheering wins with lusty renditions of “Sweet Caroline” don’t mind that it has been shoved aside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Experiencing Flight of the Conchords at the Greek is something many fans of their lusty, yet-bone-dry musical comedy haven’t gotten to experience in a while.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
The celebration of Ben Gannon-Doak scoring to make it 3-1 and Ryan Christie scoring to make it 3-2 were loud and lusty, but this was somehow different.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025
Mercedes buyers who make lusty power and responsive handling their top priorities have always favored the company’s AMG performance line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2023
Last in his class at West Point, he makes up for a lack of wisdom with a lusty exuberance.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
Its cuisine is arguably less sophisticated than Provence’s, and yet it is more firmly rooted in the land it sprang from, and it is, I put to you, enjoyed with lustier abandon.
From New York Times ● Mar. 15, 2017
Heartthrob invokes somber, marble notebook dumps as truthfully as it portrays its lustier foil.
From Time ● Feb. 1, 2013
But aside from its lustier detonations, it is pretty much the same show.
From Time Magazine Archive
Those who favored lustier interpretations of the part were frankly disappointed at Gielgud's refusal or inability to scale the dramaturgic heights in the grand manner.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Germans sang lustier and more voices came in until they killed the parody even as they had killed “Auld Lang Syne.”
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
A year after the loudest and lustiest of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments was played amid eerie silence and empty seats, the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2021
Many another superlative can be applied to Trastevere; its poverty is the deepest, its streets and alleyways the most crowded, its feasting the lustiest in all of Rome.
From Time Magazine Archive
Elastic Stop Nut Corp. of America, which paid more than $10 million in 1943 excess-profits taxes, is one of the nation's lustiest, most publicized war babies.
From Time Magazine Archive
The lustiest cheers at the vast military parade marking Israel's 25th anniversary in Jerusalem last May were neither for tanks and paratroopers passing the reviewing stand nor Phantoms whooshing overhead.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Choral Society sang their lustiest, and there were speeches.
From A Child of the Jago by Arthur Morrison
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.
