dry

1 marked by little or no precipitation or humidity the dry climate of the American Southwest Synonyms arid, droughty, sere (also sear), thirsty, waterless Related Words air-dry; bone-dry, hyperarid, ultradry; baked, dehydrated, parched, sunbaked; rainless; desert, desertic, desertlike, xerothermic Near Antonyms awash, bathed, doused (also dowsed), drenched, dripping, saturated, soaked, soaking, sodden, soggy, sopping, soppy, soused, washed, watered, waterlogged, watery; deluged, drowned, flooded, inundated, overflowed; submerged, swamped; hydrated Antonyms damp, dank, humid, moist, wet

2 causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest a very dry topic for a lecture at a museum of natural history Synonyms arid, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, boring, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monochromatic, monotonous, numbing, old, pedestrian, ponderous, slow, stale, stodgy, stuffy, stupid, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearyingRelated Words aseptic, barren, blah, dullish, pleasureless, prosaic, prosy, soggy, spiritless; blank, earthbound, gray (also grey), inanimate, pallid, pedantic, sterile, suspenseless, undramatic, uneventful, unexciting, unimaginative, uninspiring, unnewsworthy, unrewarding, unsensational, unspectacular; annoying, bothersome, irksome, irritating; longsome; palling; draining, enervating, exhausting, fatiguing, wearing; debilitating, enfeebling; demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting; common, commonplace, ordinary, tepid, unexceptional, unsurprising, vapid; cumbersome, lumbering, plodding, poky (or pokey)Near Antonyms amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous (or marvellous), sensational, spectacular, surprising, wonderful, wondrous; animating, breathtaking, electrifying, energizing, enlivening, exciting, exhilarating, galvanizing, hair-raising, inspiring, invigorating, rip-roaring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling; amusing, diverting, entertaining; moving, poignant, touching; alluring, attracting, attractive, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, enthralling, entrancing, fascinating; mesmerizing, spellbinding; suspenseful; arresting, provocative, tantalizingAntonyms absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting

3 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 aloof, antisocial, asocial, buttoned-up, cold, cold-eyed, detached, distant, cool, frosty, offish, remote, standoff, standoffish, unbending, unclubbable, unsociableRelated Words indrawn, introverted, nongregarious, recessive, reclusive, reserved, unsocial, withdrawn; misanthropic; apathetic, hard, indifferent, unconcerned; clinical, dispassionate, impersonal, professional; disinterested, incurious, uninterested; reticent, silent, taciturn, uncommunicative; diffident, shy, timid; cliquey, cliquish, clubbishNear Antonyms boon, clubbable (also clubable), clubby, companionable, convivial, extroverted (also extraverted), gregarious, outgoing; communicative, expansive, garrulous, talkative; affable, folksy, genial, gracious, hospitable; agreeable, amiable, congenial, kindly, neighborlyAntonyms cordial, friendly, sociable, social, warm

1 to make dry the wind quickly dried their clothes Synonyms dehydrate, desiccate, parch, scorch, sear Related Words dehumidify; drain; evaporate; mummify, shrivel, wither, wizen; air-dry, bake Near Antonyms bathe, deluge, douse (also dowse), drench, drown, flood, inundate, overflow, saturate, soak, sop, souse, waterlog; damp, dampen, humidify, moisten; rehydrate; dip, dunk, submerge, swamp Antonyms hydrate, wash, water, wet

2 to lose liveliness, force, or freshness his creative talents were just drying on the vine in that small, provincial town Synonyms wither, wiltRelated Words mummify, shrivel, wizen; decline, fade, wane; decrease, diminish, lessenNear Antonyms freshen, revive; bloom, flourish, prosper, thrive; develop, grow, increase, wax; crest, peak, surge