dusty

adjective

ˈdə-stē 

dustier; dustiest

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 

adverb

dustiness

ˈdə-stē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of dusty

• fine
• powdery

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

An enormous supercluster made up from over 20 individual galaxy clusters hiding behind our dusty Milky Way is even larger than astronomers had thought, affecting the motion through space of all the galaxies and galaxy clusters in our corner of the cosmos. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 May 2026

There are no fine hats or seersucker here; just dusty boots and blue jeans, the million-dollar trainers no fancier than their workers. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 2 May 2026

Inside these massive, dusty, and gas-rich regions, the same series of events always occurs. —Big Think, 30 Apr. 2026

Instead, the dusty guitar riffs and heartbeat-monitoring beeps sound like Portishead on a journey of fear and loathing through the Nevada desert. —Dean Van Nguyen, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dusty

• dusty miller

Rhymes for dusty

• crusty
• gusty
• lusty
• musty
• rusty
• trusty

Kids Definition

dusty

adjective

ˈdəs-tē 

dustier; dustiest

1

: filled or covered with dust

2

: resembling dust

dusty soil

dustily

-tə-lē 

adverb

dustiness

-tē-nəs 

noun