ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dusty

adj.
A2 Elementary US //ˈdəsti// UK //dˈʌsti// dusty Archaic Informal Slang Military
Definition

adj. covered with dust or full of very small pieces of dirt. You use this to describe things that have not been cleaned or used for a long time.

adj. covered with or resembling fine particles of matter. Often implies a state of neglect or long-term disuse.


SIMPLE

The old books on the shelf are very dusty.

CONTEXTUAL

After the long drive across the desert, the entire car was covered in a thick, dusty layer of sand.

COMPLEX

The sunlight streaming through the attic window revealed thousands of dusty motes dancing in the stagnant air, highlighting decades of undisturbed storage.

Etymology 1

Derived from Dustin.

Etymology 2

Derived from dusty, from the tendency of persons engaged in the milling of flour to become covered with flour dust.

Usage

Gradable adjective; commonly modified by 'very', 'quite', or 'extremely'.

Idioms1 entry

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