Synonyms of dross

dross

noun

ˈdräs 

as in garbage

discarded or useless material

get rid of the dross before closing up the shop

Synonyms & Similar Words

• garbage
• debris
• rubbish
• trash
• junk
• dust
• rubble
• litter
• sewage
• chaff
• truck
• waste
• deadwood
• offal
• dreck
• scrap
• effluvium
• refuse
• riffraff
• wreckage
• raffle
• detritus
• offscouring
• spilth
• lumber
• crud
• wash
• swill
• ruins
• trumpery
• flotsam
• slop
• dump
• jetsam
• remains
• scrap heap
• straw
• discard
• cull
• nothing
• reject
• throwaway
• castoff
• odds and ends
• two bits
• hand-me-down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• treasure
• pearl
• gem
• trove
• prize
• jewel
• plum
• catch
• treasure trove
• find
• goody
• valuable
• salvage
• booty

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dross

And we are asked to make the leap ourselves—men were also sacrificed as dross. — Literary Hub, 20 May 2026

The downside of all of these riches is the dross accompanying the gold. — Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026

What tabloid dross tends to obscure is his impressive career—first as a star dancer at the New York City Ballet, then as a roving choreographer of complex, dynamic work that is rooted in balletic conventions but not restricted by them. — Sara Krolewski, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026

These meteors are the dross shed by the comet 169P/NEAT, whose path Earth crosses at this time each year. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 16 July 2025

Amongst all the dross and angst, Neil and Teddy try to talk everyone into investing in a baseball-card trading venture that might generate $500 in profits after a year. — Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025

But among the dross there gleam a few brilliant exceptions—deceptive, slippery books that defy the constraints of region and genre. — Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025

The chipmaker is still raising cash and cutting costs though, as there seems to be quite a bit of dross. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025

Many experience mental health challenges on top of the physical toll of making something out of the unending dross Kantamanto is pummeled with. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019

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