Synonyms of dry

dry 1 of 3

adjective

ˈdrī 

1

as in thirsty

marked by little or no precipitation or humidity

the dry climate of the American Southwest

Synonyms & Similar Words

• thirsty
• droughty
• arid
• waterless
• sere
• desert
• desertic
• air-dry
• bone-dry
• baked
• dehydrated
• parched
• sunbaked
• rainless
• desertlike
• hyperarid
• ultradry
• xerothermic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wet
• moist
• damp
• humid
• saturated
• soggy
• dank
• dripping
• soaked
• washed
• sodden
• soaking
• bathed
• watered
• waterlogged
• drenched
• watery
• flooded
• awash
• drowned
• submerged
• sopping
• soppy
• hydrated
• soused
• doused
• overflowed
• inundated
• deluged
• swamped

2

as in boring

causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest

a very dry topic for a lecture at a museum of natural history

Synonyms & Similar Words

• boring
• slow
• dusty
• tiring
• dull
• weary
• stupid
• old
• wearying
• heavy
• arid
• tame
• annoying
• irritating
• drab
• uninteresting
• pedestrian
• tedious
• monotonous
• colorless
• stale
• leaden
• tiresome
• stodgy
• flat
• dreary
• wearisome
• stuffy
• monochromatic
• humdrum
• numbing
• ponderous
• sterile
• soggy
• pallid
• jejune
• exhausting
• barren
• ho-hum
• draining
• blank
• gray
• mind-numbing
• jading
• blah
• drudging
• dullish
• uneventful
• prosy
• prosaic
• unexciting
• spiritless
• unimaginative
• uninspiring
• aseptic
• inanimate
• unspectacular
• unrewarding
• pedantic
• undramatic
• bothersome
• earthbound
• irksome
• ordinary
• wearing
• fatiguing
• common
• unsensational
• suspenseless
• discouraging
• debilitating
• unnewsworthy
• pleasureless
• tepid
• cumbersome
• commonplace
• vapid
• dispiriting
• enervating
• unexceptional
• demoralizing
• poky
• disheartening
• longsome
• plodding
• unsurprising
• lumbering
• palling
• enfeebling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• interesting
• involving
• engaging
• wonderful
• absorbing
• intriguing
• gripping
• riveting
• engrossing
• spectacular
• surprising
• amazing
• exciting
• wondrous
• stimulating
• sensational
• awesome
• astonishing
• entertaining
• marvelous
• fabulous
• inspiring
• amusing
• exhilarating
• stirring
• astounding
• breathtaking
• thrilling
• moving
• energizing
• attractive
• electrifying
• rousing
• charming
• touching
• poignant
• fascinating
• animating
• invigorating
• enchanting
• enlivening
• alluring
• attracting
• enthralling
• beguiling
• galvanizing
• rip-roaring
• entrancing
• bewitching
• diverting
• eye-opening
• hair-raising
• suspenseful
• provocative
• captivating
• tantalizing
• spellbinding
• mesmerizing
• arresting

3

as in detached

having or showing a lack of friendliness or interest in others

a dry temperament that suited him well in a desk job that required no interaction with the customers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• detached
• cold
• distant
• cool
• reserved
• withdrawn
• remote
• frosty
• aloof
• silent
• offish
• timid
• professional
• clinical
• antisocial
• standoffish
• unsociable
• unbending
• hard
• shy
• asocial
• unclubbable
• buttoned-up
• standoff
• cold-eyed
• reclusive
• introverted
• recessive
• indifferent
• dispassionate
• indrawn
• unconcerned
• impersonal
• unsocial
• apathetic
• uninterested
• misanthropic
• disinterested
• taciturn
• incurious
• reticent
• uncommunicative
• diffident
• nongregarious
• cliquish
• clubbish
• cliquey

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• warm
• social
• friendly
• cordial
• sociable
• outgoing
• convivial
• companionable
• gregarious
• expansive
• extroverted
• boon
• communicative
• talkative
• garrulous
• hospitable
• gracious
• clubby
• genial
• folksy
• affable
• clubbable
• congenial
• amiable
• agreeable
• kindly
• neighborly

dry

2 of 3

verb

1

as in to scorch

to make dry

the wind quickly dried their clothes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scorch
• drain
• desiccate
• bake
• dehydrate
• parch
• sear
• evaporate
• dehumidify
• air-dry
• shrivel
• wither
• mummify
• wizen

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wet
• wash
• water
• soak
• hydrate
• flood
• damp
• saturate
• drown
• bathe
• overflow
• moisten
• inundate
• drench
• dampen
• douse
• deluge
• waterlog
• sop
• humidify
• swamp
• dip
• souse
• submerge
• rehydrate
• dunk

2

as in to fade

to lose liveliness, force, or freshness

his creative talents were just drying on the vine in that small, provincial town

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fade
• wither
• wilt
• shrivel
• mummify
• decrease
• diminish
• wane
• wizen
• decline
• lessen

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• revive
• freshen
• flourish
• thrive
• bloom
• grow
• prosper
• increase
• develop
• wax
• peak
• surge
• crest

dry

3 of 3

noun

as in prohibitionist

Related Words

• prohibitionist
• abstainer
• teetotaler
• teetotalist
• nondrinker

Dissimilar Words

• drinker
• alcoholic
• drunk
• wet
• inebriate
• drunkard
• sot
• souse
• bibber
• tippler
• boozer
• barfly
• boozehound

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dry

Adjective

To avoid mildew, make sure your chair is completely dry before folding it up. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 July 2026

Its initial growth was fueled by wind and dry fuels, Forsgren said. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026

Verb

Her soul felt like it had been starched and set out to dry in the right shape. — Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

Winemakers in the Grand River Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area) have shifted tastes and perceptions away from syrupy sweet Midwestern fruit wines to dry, bold, mature wines worthy of the spotlight. — Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 13 July 2026

Phrases Containing dry

• dry nurse
• dry run
• dry up
• high and dry