dryness definition | Dictionary.com

dry

[drahy]

adjective, dri⋅er, dri⋅est, verb, dried, dry⋅ing, noun, plural drys, dries.

–adjective

1.	free from moisture or excess moisture; not moist; not wet: a dry towel; dry air.

2.	having or characterized by little or no rain: a dry climate; the dry season.

3.	characterized by absence, deficiency, or failure of natural or ordinary moisture.

4.	not under, in, or on water: It was good to be on dry land.

5.	not now containing or yielding water or other liquid; depleted or empty of liquid: The well is dry.

6.	not yielding milk: a dry cow.

7.	free from tears: dry eyes.

8.	drained or evaporated away: a dry river.

9.	desiring drink; thirsty: He was so dry he could hardly speak.

10.	causing thirst: dry work.

11.	served or eaten without butter, jam, etc.: dry toast.

12.	(of cooked food) lacking enough moisture or juice to be satisfying or succulent.

13.	(of bread and bakery products) stale.

14.	of or pertaining to nonliquid substances or commodities: dry measure; dry provisions.

15.	(of wines) not sweet.

16.

(of a cocktail)

a.	made with dry vermouth: a dry Manhattan.

b.	made with relatively little dry vermouth: a dry martini.

17.	characterized by or favoring prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic liquors for use in beverages: a dry state.

18.	(of British biscuits) not sweet.

19.	plain; bald; unadorned: dry facts.

20.	dull; uninteresting: a dry subject.

21.	expressed in a straight-faced, matter-of-fact way: dry humor.

22.	indifferent; cold; unemotional: a dry answer.

23.	unproductive: The greatest of artists have dry years.

24.	(of lumber) fully seasoned.

25.

Building Trades.

a.	(of masonry construction) built without fresh mortar or cement.

b.	(of a wall, ceiling, etc., in an interior) finished without the use of fresh plaster.

26.

Ceramics.

unglazed.

b.	insufficiently glazed.

27.	Art. hard and formal in outline, or lacking mellowness and warmth in color.

–verb (used with object)

28.	to make dry; free from moisture: to dry the dishes.

–verb (used without object)

29.	to become dry; lose moisture.

–noun

30.	a prohibitionist.

31.	a dry place, area, or region.

—Verb phrases

32.

dry out,

a.	to make or become completely dry.

b.	to undergo or cause to undergo detoxification from consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol.

33.

dry up,

a.	to make or become completely dry.

b.	to cease to exist; evaporate.

c.	Informal. to stop talking.

d.	(in acting) to forget one's lines or part.

—Idiom

34.	not dry behind the ears, immature; unsophisticated: Adult responsibilities were forced on him, although he was still not dry behind the ears.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME drie, OE drȳge; akin to D droog, G trocken; see drought

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dry (drī) Pronunciation Key
adj. dri·er (drī'ər) or dry·er, dri·est (drī'ĭst) or dry·est

Free from liquid or moisture: changed to dry clothes.
Having or characterized by little or no rain: a dry climate.
Marked by the absence of natural or normal moisture: a dry month.
Not under water: dry land.
Having all the water or liquid drained away, evaporated, or exhausted: a dry river.
No longer yielding liquid, especially milk: a dry cow.
Lacking a mucous or watery discharge: a dry cough.
Not shedding tears: dry sobs.
Needing or desiring drink; thirsty: a dry mouth.
No longer wet: The paint is dry.
Of or relating to solid rather than liquid substances or commodities: dry weight.
Not sweet as a result of the decomposition of sugar during fermentation. Used of wines.
Having a large proportion of strong liquor to other ingredients: a dry martini.
Eaten or served without butter, gravy, or other garnish: dry toast; dry meat.
Having no adornment or coloration; plain: the dry facts.
Devoid of bias or personal concern: presented a dry critique.
1. Lacking tenderness, warmth, or involvement; severe: The actor gave a dry reading of the lines.
2. Matter-of-fact or indifferent in manner: rattled off the facts in a dry mechanical tone.
Wearisome; dull: a dry lecture filled with trivial details.
Humorous or sarcastic in a shrewd, impersonal way: dry wit.
Prohibiting or opposed to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages: a dry county.
Unproductive of the expected results: a mind dry of new ideas.
Constructed without mortar or cement: dry masonry.

v. dried (drīd), dry·ing, dries (drīz)

v. tr.

To remove the moisture from; make dry: laundry dried by the sun.
To preserve (meat or other foods, for example) by extracting the moisture.

v. intr.
To become dry: The sheets dried quickly in the sun.
n. pl. drys Informal
A prohibitionist.
Phrasal Verb(s):
dry out Informal To undergo a cure for alcoholism.
dry up

To make or become unproductive, especially to do so gradually.
Informal To stop talking.

[Middle English drie, from Old English drȳge.]
dry'ly, dri'ly adv., dry'ness n.

Synonyms: These verbs mean to remove the moisture from: drying the dishes; added water to eggs that were dehydrated; a factory where coconut meat is shredded and desiccated; land parched by the sun. See Also Synonyms at sour.
Antonym: moisten

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

dryness
noun
1.	the condition of not containing or being covered by a liquid (especially water) [ant: wetness]
2.	moderation in or abstinence from alcohol or other drugs [syn: sobriety]
3.	objectivity and detachment; "her manner assumed a dispassion and dryness very unlike her usual tone" [syn: dispassion]