rusty
1of 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.
Origin of rusty
1Other words from rusty
- rust·i·ly, adverb
- rust·i·ness, noun
Words Nearby rusty
Other definitions for rusty (2 of 3)
Origin of rusty
2Other definitions for Rusty (3 of 3)
a male or female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rusty in a sentence
One of the cheapest forms, it also has the advantage of being flavorless—other iron compounds can taste like a rusty pipe.
One man’s crusade to end a global scourge with better salt | Katie McLean | December 18, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewMiami was still shorthanded Wednesday and lost to Pittsburgh, but while Olaniyi was rusty in missing 10 of his 12 shots, he played 37 minutes and contributed seven points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
NCAA grants blanket waiver to transfer athletes, most of whom can play right away | Des Bieler | December 17, 2020 | Washington PostIn a long downturn, workers’ skills get rusty and machinery deteriorates or becomes outdated.
Washington was more rusty than rested, and that trend continued.
Hail or Fail: Washington commits five more turnovers than Daniel Jones in ugly loss to Giants | Scott Allen | November 9, 2020 | Washington PostEmployers don't like to hire people with large gaps on their résumé, or whose skills might be outdated or rusty.
The long-term unemployed are taking the brunt of the drawn-out stimulus talks | Dion Rabouin | October 9, 2020 | Axios
But, still, week after week, Addison lived in a Dili hostel waiting for the rusty wheels of Timorese justice to set her free.
Let’s Free Stacey Addison, The Oregon Woman Jailed at the Ends of the Earth | Christopher Dickey | October 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAcross the world, a rusty World War II fort floats off the English coast.
Discovering Underground Labyrinths, Remote Cities, and More of the World’s Lost Places | Nina Strochlic | July 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTrusty and squeaky, in need of maintenance and oil, the tank had not lost its destructive skills.
But having taken six years away from the campaign trail, her political skills are naturally a bit rusty.
What Hillary Clinton Can Learn From Portugal, Costa Rica, and England in the World Cup | Nathan Daschle | July 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOf course, this causes the nail clippers to oxidize and the water turns rusty, but it boils.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison | Daniel Genis | June 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen pneumonia occurs during the course of a chronic bronchitis, the characteristic rusty red sputum may not appear.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddA student, showing the Museum at Oxford to a party, among other things produced a rusty sword.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousMademoiselle was poking at a rusty stove that smoked a little and warmed the room indifferently.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinIt stood on rusty broken rails which were nearly covered with dead leaves.
The Box-Car Children | Gertrude Chandler WarnerThe exploring party started slowly down the rusty track, with the dog hopping happily on three legs.
The Box-Car Children | Gertrude Chandler Warner
British Dictionary definitions for rusty
/ (ˈrʌstɪ) /
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
Derived forms of rusty
- rustily, adverb
- rustiness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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