cold and dusty share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. cold means “having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration”. dusty means “covered with a layer of dust”. cold is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈkoʊld/
1.adj.having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
“a cold climate”
2.adj.extended meanings; especially of psychological coldness; without human warmth or emotion
“a cold unfriendly nod”
3.adj.having lost freshness through passage of time
“a cold trail”
/ˈdʌsti/
1.adj.covered with a layer of dust
“a dusty pile of books”
2.adj.lacking originality or spontaneity; no longer new
“moth-eaten theories about race”
| cold | dusty | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkoʊld/ | /ˈdʌsti/ |
| Said | kohld | DUH-stee |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 4 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, noun | adjective |
| Senses | 16 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | dust-covered |
Full entry for cold · Full entry for dusty · More comparisons