dusty

adjective

ˈdə-stē How to pronounce dusty (audio)
dustier; dustiest
Synonyms of dustynext
1
: covered or abounding with dust
2
: consisting of dust : powdery
3
: resembling dust
4
: lacking vitality : dry
dusty scholarship
5
British : unsatisfactory
—used especially in the phrases dusty answer and not so dusty
dustily
ˈdə-stə-lē How to pronounce dusty (audio)
adverb
dustiness
ˈdə-stē-nəs How to pronounce dusty (audio)
noun

Synonyms of dusty

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of dusty in a Sentence

He pulled dusty candlesticks from the shelf. His new tie is a dusty blue.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One Baguette is covered in a kaleidoscopic geometric pattern of colorful beads; another resembles a tiny textile artwork in dusty pink, green, and turquoise. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026 One rises, then another, then seemingly all of them—great striped bulbs of crimson, lemon yellow, and turquoise drifting between the fairy chimneys as the first sunlight catches the dusty pink folds of the landscape. — Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026 Numerous vehicles sit sprawled under tarps across his dusty driveway and land. — Literary Hub, 1 Sep. 2026 In the city today, the Salt River is mostly reduced to a wide, dusty trough that passes unceremoniously under freeway bridges. — Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dusty

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dusty was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing dusty

Rhymes for dusty

See All Rhymes for dusty

Browse Nearby Words

dust wrapper
dusty
dusty aqua
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dusty. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

dusty

adjective
ˈdəs-tē How to pronounce dusty (audio)
dustier; dustiest
1
: filled or covered with dust
2
: resembling dust
dusty soil
dustily
-tə-lē How to pronounce dusty (audio)
adverb
dustiness
-tē-nəs How to pronounce dusty (audio)
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All