rusty

adjective

ˈrə-stē How to pronounce rusty (audio)
Definition of rustynext
1
as in archaic
having passed its time of use or usefulness rusty laws still on the books because no one bothered to repeal them

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hoarse
harsh and dry in sound in a rusty voice the old man ordered us off his land

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of rusty The spectacular wildflower display has rapidly spread across the rusty red landscape of Western Australia's Murchison region following several wetter-than-usual months, according to the NASA Earth Observatory. — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 24 Sep. 2026 The opener at Nottingham Forest was understandably rusty, but headed for a good 0-0 draw on the road until Anton Stach’s late free kick. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 The feathers on her back were of mottled sepia tones, and those on her belly were rusty brown and painterly white. — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 This native tree is a deciduous conifer with feathery foliage that turns a beautiful rusty orange in fall. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rusty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rusty
  1. archaic
  2. hoarse
  3. obsolete
  4. gruff
  5. antiquated
  6. husky
  7. medieval
  8. old
Adjective
  • Cornell University’s investigation, of course, did not have to adhere to New York’s arguably archaic criminal standards, but its response, too, has triggered anger and disbelief across airwaves and social media.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Not that Georgian masculinity, with its macho, bellicose posturing and archaic codes of honor, is portrayed as anything other than fumbling and futile.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of archaic
Adjective
  • Now life was like that; some days fine and firm and full of whatever, while other days the hoarse bark of the neighbors’ dog or a friend’s grim diagnosis and her body succumbed to an emotional gravity that pulled her into a free fall.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Singers didn’t want their voices to get hoarse over the long night or week.
    — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of hoarse
Adjective
  • Yet most security programs follow a model that AI has made obsolete.
    — Taylor Morgan, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the rise of artificial intelligence has also sparked growing fears that a traditional four-year college education will become obsolete.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of obsolete
Adjective
  • We were taught by a gruff cockney called Fred Waring, who had participated in the D-Day landings in a regiment that had fought its way across Europe towards Berlin and liberated the concentration camp at Belsen.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026
  • His only hope to get home turns out to be Nick (Kenneth Branagh), a gruff ex-KGB agent who loves American pop culture and is really good in a fight.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of gruff
Adjective
  • Adopting techniques from classic-Hollywood style, cinematographers dusted off antiquated equipment, using tungsten bulbs instead of LEDs to create the low-key contrasts typical of the genre.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Furthermore, its green monochrome display will likely feel antiquated once full-color waveguide tech matures.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of antiquated
Adjective
  • Her husky voice made Pugh, as an up-and-comer, seem wise beyond her years in breakout roles as a Machiavellian teenage bride in Lady Macbeth and an actor turned spy in The Little Drummer Girl.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Tyler, after a brief recovery period, returned to the recording studio with a huskier, edgier voice.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of husky
Adjective
  • In a new study published this week in the journal Antiquity, researchers describe how a group of historians helped discover the early medieval monastery in a stroke of good luck.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The film turns the princess tale into a passage across medieval fantasy, retro-futurist sci-fi and the present day.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of medieval
Adjective
  • The proximity to his father was what worried Lorena Zschaber, a 40-year-old photographer, who watched the results roll in at an LGBTQ+ friendly bar in downtown Rio de Janeiro.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The 168-year-old magazine’s breakout journalism, its digital success, and a bit of good timing have given both Goldberg and Thompson plenty to brag about on the media podcast circuit.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of old

Browse Nearby Words

rusts
rusty
rut
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Cite this Entry

“Rusty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rusty. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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