DRYING Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

drying

verb

present participle of dry

as in scorching

to make dry the wind quickly dried their clothes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fading

to lose liveliness, force, or freshness his creative talents were just drying on the vine in that small, provincial town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of drying Soothing ingredients like green tea, centella, panthenol and glycerin are good signs, while heavy fragrance and drying alcohols are worth avoiding if your scalp is sensitive. — Valeriya Chupinina, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2026 The contaminant was not introduced during manufacturing, but was present in the vegetables prior to drying. — Eva Flowe november 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Nov. 2026 Hanging it upside down or positioning it over a drying rack can help air circulate through the interior. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2026 The recovered heat can be transferred to water for district heating networks, used to produce steam for industrial equipment, or supplied as hot air for manufacturing and drying processes. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026 Rising temperatures caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels have increased the rate at which the atmosphere pulls moisture from the land, drying soils and vegetation. — Virginia Iglesias, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2026 And earlier this year, scientists at Pennsylvania State University developed a novel conductive ink that can be painted directly onto the skin in colorful custom designs, turning into a functional electrode for biomonitoring after drying. — ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026 Water when the top half of the soil is dry, since light, warmth, pot size, and roots change drying time. — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 2 Nov. 2026 Arizona’s golf courses, in fact, have historically used far more water than the state allows, much of it sourced from the rapidly drying Colorado River. — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drying

Verb

For 15 minutes our sauna master, Kyan Van Haasteren, a young, blond Dutchman, theatrically waved a towel over scorching sauna stones to waft steam toward me and 32 other guests.

— Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Nov. 2026
Perilous jungles, scorching deserts and frozen tundra slowed him down, but bureaucratic holdups brought his adventure to a halt for long periods.

— Brian Melley, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of scorching

Verb

The era of the Italian mafiosi keeping Brooklyn under its red-sauce–stained thumb are fading, and now the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2026
The sharpest is fading Jalen Johnson’s assists in the game the public thinks is a shootout.

— Colin Lynch, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of fading

Verb

So, for ease of use and to avoid parching your skin, Queen recommends looking for one product — typically a lotion or cream — that delivers both retinol and hydrating ingredients, like glycerin, hyaluronic, ceramides or shea butter.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 26 Oct. 2026
Many of them, like Tubbs, were refugee Midwesterners, sick of parching droughts and devouring plagues of locusts, the insects descending in buzzing clouds thick enough to blacken the noonday sun.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Definition of parching

Verb

She is perhaps best known for Trifles, an adaptation of her own reporting on a particularly grisly murder case and a withering examination of the violence that sporadically bursts from women in a world where men do violence daily.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
Bass has issued withering critiques of Raman, portraying her as uninformed about Black voters and their history in the city.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of withering

Verb

And none of the many alternative remedies for treating lice – such as smothering them with mayonnaise or oil, dehydrating them with saline or hot air, or zapping them with an electronic comb – have proven to be effective.

— Emily J. C. Wong, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Antihistamines have a general dehydrating effect that also reduces tear production.

— Nancy LeBrun, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of dehydrating

Verb

There are years of desire, wilting in silence, or the frenzied rhythm of regret.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
Against a backdrop of wilting flowers that left a subtle funk in the air, designer Glenn Martens once again put forth ideas that challenged conventions of beautiful clothing.

— Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of wilting

Verb

In the Rocky Mountains, years of extreme heat and drought have baked the landscape, drying up streams that feed the Colorado River and desiccating pastures where cattle graze.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Suddenly, pest populations are large enough to make a meaningful impact, and one too many afternoons of 100+ degree weather have begun desiccating leaves.

— Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of desiccating

Browse Nearby Words

dry-cleans

drying

drying up

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“Drying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drying. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of drying

verb

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