Home Synonyms dry

Synonyms of dry in English:

dry


See US English definition of dry

See UK English definition of dry

See Spanish definition of seco

adjective

1‘the dry desert lay behind’

SYNONYMS
arid, parched, scorched, baked, burned, dried out, dried up, torrid, hot, sizzling, burning
waterless, moistureless, rainless
dehydrated, desiccated
thirsty
as dry as a bone, bone dry, as dry as dust
rare droughty, torrefied
ANTONYMS

wet

2‘the crackle of dry leaves’

SYNONYMS
parched, dried, withered, shrivelled, wilted, wizened
crisp, crispy, brittle
dehydrated, desiccated, sun-baked
sapless, juiceless
ANTONYMS

fresh

3‘the hamburgers were dry’

SYNONYMS
hard, hardened, dried out, stale, old, past its best, past its sell-by date, off
ANTONYMS

fresh, moist

4‘the river is dry’

SYNONYMS
waterless, dried out, empty

5‘I brought a few beers in case you got dry’

SYNONYMS
thirsty, dehydrated, longing for a drink
informal parched, gasping

6‘it was dry work’

SYNONYMS
thirst-making, thirst-provoking, thirsty, hot, strenuous, arduous, heavy, tiring, exhausting

7‘a piece of dry toast’

SYNONYMS
unbuttered, plain, butterless

8‘the story brings the dry facts to life’

SYNONYMS
bare, simple, basic, fundamental, stark, naked, bald, cold, hard, straightforward
unadorned, unembellished
ANTONYMS

embellished

9‘a dry debate on science policy’

SYNONYMS
dull, uninteresting, boring, unexciting, tedious, tiresome, wearisome, dreary, monotonous, dry as dust, arid
unimaginative, sterile, flat, bland, insipid, lacklustre, stodgy, colourless, lifeless, prosaic, run-of-the-mill, humdrum, mundane, commonplace, workaday, quotidian, routine, vapid
stiff, leaden, wooden
informal deadly
British informal samey
Scottish informal dreich
ANTONYMS

interesting, lively

10‘he's got a dry sense of humour’

SYNONYMS
wry, subtle, low-key, laconic, sly, sharp
deadpan, straight-faced, poker-faced
ironic, sardonic, sarcastic, cynical, mordant, biting
satirical, mocking, scoffing, droll, waggish
British informal sarky

11‘he was nonplussed by this dry response to his cordial advance’

SYNONYMS
unemotional, indifferent, undemonstrative, impassive, cool, cold, clinical, passionless, emotionless
aloof, reserved, remote, distant, restrained, impersonal, formal, stiff, rigid, wooden, starchy
ANTONYMS

emotional, expressive

12‘sorry, this is a dry state’

SYNONYMS
Prohibitionist
teetotal, alcohol-free, non-drinking, abstinent
clean, sober
informal on the wagon, straight

13‘dry white wine’

SYNONYMS
crisp, sharp, piquant, not sweet, tart, bitter
ANTONYMS

sweet

14‘they deliberately selected dry candidates’

SYNONYMS
monetarist
arch-conservative, right-wing, reactionary
supply-side
informal true-blue
ANTONYMS

wet, left-wing


verb

1‘the hot sun had dried the ground again’

SYNONYMS
make dry, dry out, dry up, parch, scorch, sear, bake
dehydrate, desiccate, dehumidify
ANTONYMS

moisten

2‘dry the leaves and break them into small pieces’

SYNONYMS
dry up, dehydrate, desiccate
wither, shrivel, wilt, wizen, mummify
ANTONYMS

moisten

3‘I saw you drying your hair’

SYNONYMS
dry off, towel, towel-dry, rub
mop up, blot up, soak up, absorb, sop up, clean up
drain

4‘she dried her eyes’

SYNONYMS
wipe, wipe tears from, rub, dab

5‘there are various methods of drying meat’

SYNONYMS
desiccate, dehydrate, remove the moisture from
preserve, cure, smoke

noun

1‘on economic policy he is a dry’

SYNONYMS
monetarist
arch-conservative, right-winger, reactionary
supply-sider
ANTONYMS

wet, left-winger


Phrases

    dry out

    ‘he has spent periods drying out in a clinic’


    SYNONYMS
    give up drinking, give up alcohol, become teetotal, overcome alcoholism, take the pledge
    informal go on the wagon
    dry up

    1‘then he dried up, and Phil couldn't get another word out of him’


    SYNONYMS
    stop speaking, stop talking, fall silent, say no more, shut up
    forget one's lines, forget one's words
    informal put a sock in it
    British informal belt up

    2‘foreign investment may dry up’


    SYNONYMS
    dwindle, wane, disappear, fail, vanish, subside, peter out, fade, fade away, die away, die off, die out, taper off, trail away, trail off, ebb, melt away, evaporate, come to nothing, come to a an end, come to a halt end, run out, give out
    become unproductive, grow barren, grow sterile, cease to yield
    ANTONYMS

    continue