Cut, wash and dry, please.
Source: tatoeba (2239)
Dry
/dɹaɪ/
Synonyms for "dry" (488 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (98)
acarpousacerbacerbateacerbicacescentacetoseacidacidulousair-dryanhydrateanhydrousantisaloonapatheticaridasceticathirstausterebakebakedbald
Show 49 more words
barebarrenblahblankblast-freezebleedbleed whitebloodlessblotbone-dryboringbrassybrazenbrinebroken-recordbromidicbrushburncakecandidcausticcelibatecharacterlesschildlesschokedcoagulatecoarsecoldcolorlesscommoncommonplaceconcretecongealcorncrabcrabbedcrackedcroakingcroakycurecynicaldeaddehumidifydehydratedehydrateddenudedepletedepleteddeplume
Adjective(11 words)
Verb(4 words)
Strong matches (146)
desertdesiccatedesiccateddesolatedespoildirectdiscreetdismaldisplumedivestdraggydraindraineddrearisomedrearydried updried-updroughtydry as dustdry cure
Show 90 more words
dry updry-curedry-saltdryasdustdulldustyearthboundeffeteelephantineembalmemptyetiolatedevaporateeverlastingexhaustexhaustedexsiccatefadefairfallowfinefireflatflayfleecefrankfreezefreeze dryfreeze-dryfruitlessfumegauntgeldedgratinggreengruffgutturalhardenharpingharshharsh-soundingheavyhigh and dryho humho-humhoarsehollowhomelyhomespunhumdrumhuskyimpassiveimpotentimpoverishimpoverishedinaneindurateineffectualinexcitableinfecundinfertileinsipidinsolateinvariableironicirradiateissuelessjarringjejunejerkjog trotjog-trotjuicelesskilnkipperleachedleadenleanlifelesslike parchmentliteralliteral mindedlong windedlong-windedlow spiritedlow-spiritedmarinademarinatematter-of-factmenopausal
Adjective(15 words)
desert biotic communitydesertlikedesertlike terraindriest areadrollestdry field sitedry seedlingdry vesselempty valleyhumorlesshumourlessironicironicaljuicelesslow moisture
Noun(12 words)
desert life descriptiondesert terraindesiccatedesiccateddesiccated claydesiccatingdesiccationdried beakerdroughtdry landdrynesslandscape without water
Verb(6 words)
Related words (244)
metallicmilkmodestmoisturelessmonotonousmummifymundanenaturalneatnonfertilenonproducingnonproductivenonprolificopenpalepallidparchparchedpedanticpedestrian
Show 166 more words
phlegmaticpick cleanpicklepickledplainplain spokenplain-speakingplain-spokenploddingpluckpointlesspokyponderouspreservatizepreserveprohibitionistprolixprosaicprosingprosypungentpurequick-freezerabelaisianraggedraspingraucidraucousrefrigerateroughroupyrubruderuggedrusticrustysaharansaltsandysaplesssappedsarcasticsardonicsatiricsatiricalscorchscratchysearseasonsecseresetsevereshearshovelshrivelsimplesimple-speakingsine prolesingsongskinslowsmokesmoke-curesoak upsobersolemnsolidifysoursour as vinegarsouredsourishsparespartanspiritlessspongesquawkingsquawkystaidstalestarksterilestertorousstiffstodgystoicstolidstraightforwardstrangledstridentstridulousstripstrip barestuffstuffysuck drysucked drysunsun-drysuperficialswabtarttartishtastelesstediousteemlessteetotalthickthirstingthirstythroatytinnytorrefytoweltreadmillunadornedunaffecteduncultivatedundampedunembellisheduneventfulunfancifulunfertileunfruitfulungarnishedunidealunimaginativeuninspireduninterestinguninventiveunlivelyunoriginalunornamentedunplowedunpoeticunpoeticalunpretentiousunproductiveunprolificunripeunromanticunromanticizedunsownunsweetunsweeteneduntilledunvarnishedunvaryingunwateredvapidvinegarishvinegaryvirginwastewastedwaterlesswctuwearifulwearinesswearisomeweazenwipewitherwithout issuewizenwooden
Adjective(26 words)
moisture-deficientnonwateringnonwatering setupparched throatpotted plant drynessrainlessseasonedsemidarid regionsunbakedteetotaltextbookishtonelessunamusing itemunconvincingunfunnyungreasedunhumorousunlubricatedunoiledwaterless system
Show 6 more words
Noun(20 words)
nonwetlandparchedparchingpreliminarypreparatoryprohibitionistsqueegeeingsqueegeessunningsunstowellingtowelstrialunderstatedunderwateringunderwatering plantswater deficientwater deficitwipeswry
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: acarpous, acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acescent.
- Sentence evidence is available for dry, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, wiktionary, derived_reverse, opengloss, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "dry".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "dry"
Keep "dry" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "dry" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "dry", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "dry" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
20 entriesShowing 16 of 20 words.
More specific
12 entriesair dryingarid climatedeadpan humordesiccated fruitdesiccationmoderate droughtparched groundpilot testsevere droughtsun dryingtrial rununderstated wit
Collocations
12 entriesdry airdry clothesdry erase boarddry erase markerdry goodsdry handsdry landdry matterdry seasondry soildry spelldry weather
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
3 entriesAntonyms
4 entriessimilar
46 entriesShowing 16 of 46 words.
Translations
126 translations across 74 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ξηραίνω verb (to make dry)
Arabic
4 entries- جَفَّف verb (to make dry)
- جَفَّفَ verb (to make dry)
- نَشَّف verb (to make dry)
- يَبَّسَ verb (to make dry)
Armenian
1 entries- չորացնել verb (to make dry)
Aromanian
4 entries- sec verb (to make dry)
- usãc verb (to make dry)
- vintur verb (to make dry)
- zvintu verb (to make dry)
Asturian
1 entries- secar verb (to make dry)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- qurutmaq verb (to make dry)
Basque
1 entries- agortu verb (to make dry)
Bulgarian
2 entries- изсушавам verb (to make dry)
- суша verb (to make dry)
Campidanese Sardinian
1 entries- asciuttare verb (to make dry)
Catalan
2 entries- assecar verb (to make dry)
- eixugar verb (to make dry)
Cebuano
1 entries- uga verb (to make dry)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- وشک کردن verb (to make dry)
Chickasaw
1 entries- shilili verb (to make dry)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 乾 /干 verb (to make dry)
- 乾燥 /干燥 verb (to make dry)
Danish
1 entries- tørre verb (to make dry)
Dutch
2 entries- droog adj (maintaining temperance)
- drogen verb (to make dry)
Esperanto
1 entries- sekigi verb (to make dry)
Estonian
1 entries- kuivatama verb (to make dry)
Finnish
4 entries- alkoholiton adj (maintaining temperance)
- kuiva adj (maintaining temperance)
- kuivata verb (to make dry)
- kuivattaa verb (to make dry)
French
2 entries- faire sécher verb (to make dry)
- sécher verb (to make dry)
Friulian
4 entries- secjâ verb (to make dry)
- sečhâ verb (to make dry)
- suiâ verb (to make dry)
- sujâ verb (to make dry)
Galician
2 entries- enxugar verb (to make dry)
- secar verb (to make dry)
Gallurese
1 entries- ascinà verb (to make dry)
German
4 entries- trocken adj (maintaining temperance)
- abdroggle verb (to make dry)
- abdroggne verb (to make dry)
- abtrocknen verb (to make dry)
Greek
2 entries- στεγνός adj (maintaining temperance)
- στεγνώνω verb (to make dry)
Hebrew
2 entries- יִבֵּשׁ verb (to make dry)
- ייבש verb (to make dry)
Hungarian
1 entries- szárít verb (to make dry)
Icelandic
1 entries- þurrka verb (to make dry)
Indonesian
1 entries- kering verb (to make dry)
Irish
1 entries- triomaigh verb (to make dry)
Italian
2 entries- asciugare verb (to make dry)
- seccare verb (to make dry)
Japanese
1 entries- 乾かす verb (to make dry)
Khmer
1 entries- ស្ងួត verb (to make dry)
Korean
1 entries- 말리다 verb (to make dry)
Latin
2 entries- exsuco verb (to make dry)
- sicco verb (to make dry)
Latvian
1 entries- žāvēt verb (to make dry)
Lithuanian
1 entries- džiovinti verb (to make dry)
Lombard
1 entries- sugà verb (to make dry)
Luxembourgish
1 entries- dréchnen verb (to make dry)
Maguindanao
1 entries- gangu verb (to make dry)
Malayalam
1 entries- ഉണക്കുക verb (to make dry)
Mansaka
1 entries- burad verb (to make dry)
Megleno-Romanian
1 entries- usc verb (to make dry)
Mongolian
1 entries- хатаах verb (to make dry)
Māori
3 entries- rangirangi verb (to make dry)
- tauraki verb (to make dry)
- whakamaroke verb (to make dry)
Ngazidja Comorian
1 entries- hwaniha verb (to make dry)
Norman
1 entries- s'tchi verb (to make dry)
Norwegian
1 entries- tørke verb (to make dry)
Occitan
1 entries- secar verb (to make dry)
Piedmontese
1 entries- sué verb (to make dry)
Polish
3 entries- osuszać verb (to make dry)
- suszyć verb (to make dry)
- wysuszyć verb (to make dry)
Portuguese
2 entries- enxugar verb (to make dry)
- secar verb (to make dry)
Quechua
1 entries- ch'akichiy verb (to make dry)
Romanian
3 entries- usca verb (to make dry)
- zbici verb (to make dry)
- zvânta verb (to make dry)
Romansch
4 entries- seccar verb (to make dry)
- sechar verb (to make dry)
- secher verb (to make dry)
- segar verb (to make dry)
Russian
4 entries- вы́сушить verb (to make dry)
- вы́тереть verb (to make dry)
- вытира́ть verb (to make dry)
- суши́ть verb (to make dry)
Sanskrit
1 entries- शोषयति verb (to make dry)
Sardinian
1 entries- asciuttare verb (to make dry)
Sassarese
1 entries- asciuttà verb (to make dry)
Shor
1 entries- қурударға verb (to make dry)
Sicilian
3 entries- nsiccumari verb (to make dry)
- nziccumari verb (to make dry)
- siccari verb (to make dry)
Sikkimese
1 entries- སྐམས verb (to make dry)
Spanish
2 entries- enjugar verb (to make dry)
- secar verb (to make dry)
Swedish
3 entries- torrlagd adj (maintaining temperance)
- vit adj (maintaining temperance)
- torka verb (to make dry)
Tagalog
2 entries- magpatuyo verb (to make dry)
- tuyuin verb (to make dry)
Telugu
1 entries- ఆరబెట్టు verb (to make dry)
Turkish
2 entries- kurulamak verb (to make dry)
- kurutmak verb (to make dry)
Ukrainian
4 entries- ви́сушити verb (to make dry)
- вису́шувати verb (to make dry)
- посуши́ти verb (to make dry)
- просу́шувати verb (to make dry)
Uyghur
1 entries- قۇرۇتماق verb (to make dry)
Venetan
1 entries- secar verb (to make dry)
Vietnamese
2 entries- hong verb (to make dry)
- sấy verb (to make dry)
Welsh
1 entries- sychu verb (to make dry)
Yiddish
1 entries- טריקענען verb (to make dry)
Zazaki
1 entries- wısk kerden verb (to make dry)
Sample sentences
61 total sentences available.
I will dry your T-shirt.
Source: tatoeba (17427)
Your T-shirt will dry soon.
Source: tatoeba (17428)
Are my socks dry already?
Source: tatoeba (18088)
Showing 4 of 61 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "dry"?
Closest matches include acarpous, acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acescent.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "dry"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.