Meanings
rusty1
comparative rustier · superlative rustiest
- Marked or corroded by rust.First known use 9th c.
The overall mood of this volume is one of melancholy and loss, weary resignation to one's lot—trudging round and round on the rusty hamster wheel of life.
2002 June 28, Michiko Kakutani, “Books of the Times”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 07 Dec 2019, retrieved 23 Sep 2008 - Of the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown.First known use 14th c.
Alive? he might be dead for aught I know, / With that red gaunt and colloped neck a-strain, / And shut eyes underneath the rusty mane;
1855, Robert Browning, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, section XIV1 more example
Three chairs of the steamer type, all maimed, comprised the furniture of this roof-garden, with […] on one of the copings a row of four red clay flower-pots filled with sun-baked dust from which gnarled and rusty stalks thrust themselves up like withered elfin limbs.
1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter I (Anarchy), pages 377–378 - Lacking recent experience, out of practice, especially with respect to a skill or activity.First known use 16th c.
Before the match, Hodgson had expressed the hope that his players would be fresh rather than rusty after an 18-day break from league commitments because of two successive postponements.
2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 17 Mar 2011 - historicalOf clothing, especially dark clothing: worn, shabby.First known use 17th c.
He wore a black jacket, rusty and amorphous.
1911, Max Beerbohm, Zuleika Dobson1 more example
The clerk stared at him and the rusty black bonnet a moment, and then laughed.
1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC
rusty2
rusty3
comparative more rusty · superlative most rusty
- UKdialectalCantankerous
But they paraded the street, and watched the yard till dusk, when its proprietor ran rusty and turned them out.
1864, Charles Reade, Very Hard Cash
Rusty4
- A male given name.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivecovered with or consisting of rust
adjectiveimpaired in skill by neglect
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
rusty · adjective
- Proto-Germanic*rustagaz“rusty”
- Old Englishrūstiġ“rusty”
- Middle Englishrusty
- Englishrusty
From Middle English rusty, from Old English rūstiġ (“rusty”), from Proto-Germanic *rustagaz (“rusty”), equivalent to rust + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian rusterch (“rusty”), West Frisian rustich, roastich (“rusty”), Dutch roestig (“rusty”), German Low German rusterig, rüsterig (“rusty”), German rostig (“rusty”), Swedish rostig (“rusty”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →rusty · noun
Ellipsis of rusty one more often used for this, or from the general epithet rusty given to various particular firearm names—earlier both were applied in Cockney rhyming slang for other machines, including swords in their day, but the present coinage has not more than a loose connection to this and is from the preference for used or antique firearms due to their being easier or cheaper to obtain.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic صَدِئ
- صَدِئ (ṣadiʔ)affected by rust
Bulgarian ръждив, ръждивокафяв
- ръждив (răždiv)of the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- ръждивокафяв (răždivokafjav)of the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- занемарен (zanemaren)lacking recent experience, out of practice
- износен (iznosen)worn, shabby
- ръждясал (răždjasal)affected by rust
Catalan rovellat, rovellat
- rovellatlacking recent experience, out of practice
- rovellataffected by rust
Chinese Mandarin 生鏽的 /生锈的
- 生鏽的 /生锈的 (shēngxiù de)affected by rust
Czech rezavý, rezavý
- rezavýof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- rezavýaffected by rust
Danish rustfarvet, rustrød
- rustfarvetof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- rustrødof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- rustenlacking recent experience, out of practice
- rustenaffected by rust
Dutch roestig, roestig
- roestiglacking recent experience, out of practice
- roestigaffected by rust
- verroestaffected by rust
Esperanto rustkolora, rusta
- rustkoloraof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- rustalacking recent experience, out of practice
- rustaaffected by rust
Estonian roostes
- roosteslacking recent experience, out of practice
Finnish ruosteenruskea, ruosteenpunainen
- ruosteenruskeaof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- ruosteenpunainenof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- ruosteinenlacking recent experience, out of practice
- ruosteessalacking recent experience, out of practice
- ruosteinenaffected by rust
French rouillé, rouillé
- rouillélacking recent experience, out of practice
- rouilléaffected by rust
German eingerostet, rostig
- eingerostetlacking recent experience, out of practice
- rostigaffected by rust
- verrostetaffected by rust
Greek σκουριασμένος, ξεπερασμένος
- σκουριασμένος (skouriasménos)lacking recent experience, out of practice
- ξεπερασμένος (xeperasménos)lacking recent experience, out of practice
- σκουριασμένος (skouriasménos)affected by rust
Hungarian rozsdabarna, berozsdásodott
- rozsdabarnaof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- berozsdásodottlacking recent experience, out of practice
- rozsdásaffected by rust
Icelandic stirðna, ryðgaður
- stirðnalacking recent experience, out of practice
- ryðgaðuraffected by rust
Irish meirgeach, tréigthe
- meirgeachlacking recent experience, out of practice
- tréigtheworn, shabby
- meirgeachaffected by rust
Italian arrugginito, arrugginito
- arrugginitolacking recent experience, out of practice
- arrugginitoaffected by rust
Japanese さびた
- さびた (sabita)affected by rust
Latin ferrūgineus, rōbīginōsus
- ferrūgineusof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- rōbīginōsusof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- rōbīginōsusaffected by rust
- aerūginōsusaffected by rust
Norwegian Bokmål rusten, rusten
- rustenlacking recent experience, out of practice
- rustenaffected by rust
Polish rdzawy, zardzewiały
- rdzawyof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- zardzewiałylacking recent experience, out of practice
- zardzewiałyaffected by rust
- rdzawyaffected by rust
Portuguese enferrujado, destreinado
- enferrujadolacking recent experience, out of practice
- destreinadolacking recent experience, out of practice
- enferrujadoaffected by rust
- ferrugentoaffected by rust
Romanian ruginit
- ruginitaffected by rust
Russian ржа́вый
- ржа́вый (ržávyj)affected by rust
Slovak hrdzavý, hrdzavý
- hrdzavýof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- hrdzavýaffected by rust
Spanish herrumbroso, oxidado
- herrumbrosoof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- oxidadolacking recent experience, out of practice
- herrumbrosoaffected by rust
Swedish rostfärgad, ringrostig
- rostfärgadof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- ringrostiglacking recent experience, out of practice
- rostigaffected by rust
Thai เป็นสนิม
- เป็นสนิม (bpen-sà-nǐm)affected by rust
Turkish paslanmış, paslanmış
- paslanmışlacking recent experience, out of practice
- paslanmışaffected by rust
- paslıaffected by rust
Ukrainian іржа́вий
- іржа́вий (iržávyj)affected by rust
Vietnamese rỉ
- rỉaffected by rust
Welsh lliw rhwd, rhydliw
- lliw rhwdof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- rhydliwof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- rhytgochof the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown
- rhydlydlacking recent experience, out of practice
- rhydlydaffected by rust
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with rusty
All rhymes →Cite this entry
rusty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rusty
“rusty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rusty. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rusty,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rusty.
Source: rusty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.