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

In Ghana’s capital, follow a visit to a castle where captives waiting to be taken to the New World were held in dank dungeons with a trip to the Black Star of Africa sitting atop an arch, announcing Ghana’s independence. —Gerald Narciso Jeremie Souteyrat, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

For one, the hair dye solution was so slippery and hard to control, women were using rags instead of towels and dank basement sinks to dye their hair in order to avoid making a mess in their own bathrooms. —Esther K. Choy, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024

Five people could comfortably fit — and there were 43 of us crammed in a dank hole. —Lea Lane, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

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