rusty

¹ American  

[ruhs-tee] / ˈrʌs ti /

adjective

rustier, rustiest

1. covered with or affected by rust.

2. consisting of or produced by rust.

3. of or tending toward the color rust; rust-colored.

4. faded or shabby; impaired by time or wear, as clothes or drapery.

5. impaired through disuse or neglect.

   My Latin is rusty.

6. having lost agility or alertness; out of practice.

   I am a bit rusty at tennis.

7. (of a sound) grating or harsh.

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rusty ² American  

[ruhs-tee] / ˈrʌs ti /

adjective

rustier, rustiest

1. restive; stubborn.

   a rusty horse.

2. Chiefly Dialect. ill-tempered; cross.

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Rusty ³ American  

[ruhs-tee] / ˈrʌs ti /

noun

1. a male or female given name.

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rusty British  

/ ˈrʌstɪ /

adjective

1. covered with, affected by, or consisting of rust

   a rusty machine

   a rusty deposit

2. of the colour rust

3. discoloured by age

   a rusty coat

4. (of the voice) tending to croak

5. old-fashioned in appearance; seemingly antiquated

   a rusty old gentleman

6. out of practice; impaired in skill or knowledge by inaction or neglect

7. (of plants) affected by the rust fungus

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Other Word Forms

• rustily adverb
• rustiness noun

Etymology

Origin of rusty¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English rusti, Old English rūstig; rust, -y ¹

Origin of rusty²

First recorded in 1555–65; apparently special use of rusty ¹, but compare obsolete resty restive

Example Sentences

Today it is home to an empty airstrip and the rusty remains of buildings, vehicles and hundreds of fuel drums, nicknamed American flowers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

The men also averaged a tick over five goals a game in the preliminary round plus looked a little rusty doing it.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

A sign hanging from a rusty ice-green shipping container installed by Thai forces on what they say is the border with Cambodia proclaims: "Cambodian citizens are strictly prohibited from entering this area."

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

"Maybe we're a little rusty," Kermit muses at one point.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

Instead of wearing a seashell on his back, like most hermit crabs, he wore a rusty old soup can.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown