Synonyms of wet

wet 1 of 3

adjective

ˈwet 

1

as in dripping

containing, covered with, or thoroughly penetrated by water

I left the car windows open while it rained, and the seats got all wet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dripping
• saturated
• soaked
• washed
• bathed
• soaking
• flooded
• saturate
• soggy
• sodden
• moist
• damp
• waterlogged
• drenched
• sopping
• watered
• water-soaked
• bedraggled
• logged
• soppy
• flushed
• drowned
• watery
• submerged
• awash
• humid
• splashed
• doused
• rinsed
• hydrated
• soused
• aqueous
• irrigated
• overflowed
• dipped
• clammy
• steeped
• boggy
• swamped
• dank
• inundated
• sloppy
• dampish
• deluged
• wettish
• dunked
• squashy
• seepy
• miry
• sluiced
• laved
• semimoist

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dry
• arid
• waterless
• unwatered
• bone-dry
• waterproof
• watertight
• hyperarid
• dehydrated
• water-resistant
• water-repellent
• baked
• droughty
• thirsty
• parched
• ultradry
• sunbaked
• sere
• wrung
• freeze-dried

2

as in rainy

marked by or abounding with rain

a wet and dreary day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rainy
• pouring
• precipitating
• stormy
• misty
• drippy
• drizzly
• drizzling
• spitting
• sprinkling
• mizzly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dry

3

as in drunk

being under the influence of alcohol

designated a driver so the others could get wet and make it home safely at the end of the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drunk
• drunken
• fried
• impaired
• wasted
• blind
• bombed
• plastered
• gassed
• loaded
• stiff
• lit
• under the influence
• tight
• stinking
• sloshed
• ripped
• boozy
• tipsy
• stewed
• intoxicated
• under the weather
• smashed
• oiled
• inebriated
• pickled
• inebriate
• crocked
• besotted
• high
• hammered
• looped
• juiced
• stoned
• soused
• wiped out
• blasted
• three sheets in the wind
• potted
• blitzed
• canned
• alcoholic
• tiddly
• sozzled
• squiffed
• tanked
• lit up
• sottish
• cockeyed
• blotto
• in the bag
• pie-eyed
• rocky
• in one's cups
• beery
• maudlin
• dopey
• crapulous
• strung out
• debauched
• dissolute
• befuddled
• stupefied
• bleary-eyed
• dissipated
• dipsomaniacal
• bibulous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dry
• straight
• sober
• temperate
• steady
• cool
• level
• abstemious
• abstinent
• teetotal
• clearheaded

4

as in sticky

appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way

things get more than a little wet during the opera's big death scene

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sticky
• sloppy
• sentimental
• fuzzy
• drippy
• gooey
• slushy
• mushy
• soppy
• soupy
• sugary
• cloying
• mawkish
• corny
• saccharine
• sappy
• maudlin
• schmaltzy
• chocolate-box
• sugarcoated
• spoony
• fruity
• lovey-dovey
• soapy
• dreamy
• moony
• nostalgic
• novelettish
• sudsy
• feel-good
• moonstruck
• watery
• melodramatic
• insipid
• tasteless
• vapid
• flat
• misty-eyed
• starry-eyed
• soft-boiled
• soap-operatic
• cutesy
• twee

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unsentimental
• unadulterated
• unvarnished
• cynical
• hardheaded
• antisentimental
• hard-edged
• hard-boiled

5

as in weak

British lacking strength of will or character

employees of the company despised their boss as a wet and ineffectual bloke

Synonyms & Similar Words

• weak
• soft
• weakened
• corrupt
• wimpy
• timid
• frail
• invertebrate
• spineless
• meek
• wimpish
• nerveless
• characterless
• milk-and-water
• effete
• weak-kneed
• wishy-washy
• flaccid
• flabby
• weakling
• limp-wristed
• ineffective
• namby-pamby
• ineffectual
• powerless
• impotent
• forceless
• pliable
• submissive
• emasculated
• unscrupulous
• unnerved
• unprincipled
• villainous
• craven
• lamblike
• dastardly
• pusillanimous
• sissy
• cowardly
• impuissant
• infirm
• irresolute
• fainthearted
• lily-livered
• vacillating
• poltroon
• nebbishy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hard
• strong
• tough
• firm
• good
• right
• moral
• upright
• righteous
• virtuous
• ethical
• unrelenting
• backboned
• principled
• determined
• resolute
• courageous
• mettlesome
• stalwart
• stouthearted

wet

2 of 3

noun

as in rain

a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity

winced as he walked out into the wet without any protection

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rain
• storm
• rainfall
• rainstorm
• downpour
• deluge
• cloudburst
• shower
• precipitation
• weather
• thunderstorm
• downfall
• thundershower

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• mist
• spit
• drizzle
• sprinkle
• scud
• mizzle

wet

3 of 3

verb

as in to drown

to make wet

you need to wet your hair thoroughly first

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drown
• wash
• flood
• water
• damp
• soak
• sodden
• rinse
• bathe
• wet down
• drench
• waterlog
• flush
• water-soak
• mist
• douse
• moisten
• sop
• shower
• dip
• sprinkle
• bedraggle
• submerge
• drizzle
• hydrate
• splash
• humidify
• souse
• moisturize
• dampen
• swamp
• deluge
• saturate
• steep
• hose (down)
• inundate
• overflow
• bedew
• irrigate
• impregnate
• lave
• duck
• slosh
• sluice
• dunk
• asperse
• rehydrate
• rewet
• rewash

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dry
• dehydrate
• scorch
• evaporate
• desiccate
• sear
• parch
• dewater
• wring
• freeze-dry
• dehumidify
• drip-dry

Synonym Chooser

How is the word wet distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of wet are damp, dank, humid, and moist. While all these words mean "covered or more or less soaked with liquid," 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

When is it sensible to use damp instead of wet?

The meanings of damp and wet largely overlap; 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 can dank be used instead of wet?

While the synonyms dank and wet are close in meaning, dank implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness.

a prisoner in a cold, dank cell

Where would humid be a reasonable alternative to wet?

In some situations, the words humid and wet are roughly equivalent. However, humid applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air.

a hot, humid climate

In what contexts can moist take the place of wet?

The words moist and wet are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry.

treat the injury with moist heat

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of wet

Adjective

Continue to cook, stirring gently with a heatproof rubber spatula as mixture starts to color and brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to keep sugar from crystallizing as needed, until bubbling and the color of pale honey, about 5 minutes. —Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 June 2026

Research led by Queen’s University Belfast in Britain used 20 years of meteorological data to assess conditions at host stadiums using wet bulb globe temperature — a measure of heat stress that combines heat and humidity. —Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 4 June 2026

Noun

For wood, use a lightly damp mop — not soaking wet. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 2026

For wood, use a lightly damp mop — not soaking wet — to avoid warping or water damage. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Apr. 2026

Verb

Irrigate at the base of plants to avoid wetting foliage, which can encourage plant diseases like black spot. —Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 June 2026

Aerate and immediately water lawns that are compacted, hard to wet or have nematode problems. —Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2026

Phrases Containing wet

• all wet
• wet behind the ears
• wet blanket
• wet down