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 adverb
dustiness noun

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.
Seen from there, the sandstone pylons of Luxor’s temple rose to an open sky, eternally patient in the dusty, pearlescent light. Chris Wallace, Travel + Leisure, 19 Apr. 2025 Down a dusty street in Jereif West, Fatima Bahlawi, 20 months old, lay wailing in her mother’s arms, waving limbs that were thin as sticks. Declan Walsh, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025 Its most beautiful and bracing imagery is that of cotton fields plumbed by sharecroppers, endless skies and dusty roads, the verdant expanse of a land that has witnessed so much sorrow. Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025 After running for 135 hours across Arizona's Sonoran Desert, Andy Glaze, 47, couldn't wait to take off his dusty trainers—and the internet was keen to see what was underneath his socks. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dusty. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

dusty

adjective
dustier; dustiest
1
: filled or covered with dust
2
: resembling dust
dusty soil
dustily adverb
dustiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dusty

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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