Synonyms of dank

dank

adjective

ˈdaŋk 

as in damp

slightly or moderately wet

vegetables tended to go bad quickly in the dank cellar

Synonyms & Similar Words

• damp
• moist
• humid
• dampish
• dripping
• steeped
• wettish
• soaked
• misty
• soaking
• clammy
• muggy
• dewy
• sodden
• saturated
• sweltering
• soggy
• tropical
• sticky
• waterlogged
• washed
• drenched
• bathed
• sopping
• watered
• torrid
• summery
• water-soaked
• sultry
• semimoist
• awash
• saturate
• soppy
• soused
• dowsed
• doused

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dry
• arid
• dusty
• waterless
• burnt
• droughty
• sunbaked
• scorched
• desert
• dehydrated
• burned
• parched
• baked
• sere
• bone-dry
• sear
• seared
• watertight
• waterproof
• hyperarid
• water-resistant
• ultradry
• water-repellent

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dank distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of dank are damp, humid, moist, and wet. While all these words mean "covered or more or less soaked with liquid," dank implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness.

a prisoner in a cold, dank cell

In what contexts can damp take the place of dank?

In some situations, the words damp and dank are roughly equivalent. However, damp implies a slight or moderate absorption and often connotes an unpleasant degree of moisture.

clothes will mildew if stored in a damp place

When is humid a more appropriate choice than dank?

The words humid and dank are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, humid applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air.

a hot, humid climate

Where would moist be a reasonable alternative to dank?

The words moist and dank can be used in similar contexts, but moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry.

treat the injury with moist heat

When can wet be used instead of dank?

The meanings of wet and dank largely overlap; however, wet usually implies saturation but may suggest a covering of a surface with water or something (such as paint) not yet dry.

slipped on the wet pavement

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dank

Think of the famous scene: wise men navigating by the stars—flaming constellations against a fathomless sky—searching the dank nooks of Rome’s empire for an incandescent child. —Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024

But a mood is brewed — dank and laced with hints of fantasy — and if Peter Strickland and Alex Garland got to these ideas sooner, those guys are swell company to be in. —Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025

On a dank quay beneath Paris’s Pont Alexandre III, a beauty moment of epic proportions was born. —Jessica Diner, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2025

In the dull, dank dark So where were the most diverse bacterial and archaeal populations? —Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025