If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the dry rub for ribs in oven article. See definition of dry on Dictionary.

What is another word for dry? Dry has a lot of meanings that stem from its literal meaning: free from moisture. Something that is completely dry in this sense can be described as bone-dry, desert-dry, or dry as dust. Deserts and other dry environments—those without rain or humidity—are often described as arid. A dry climate is one without much rain.

An extended period of dry weather is called a drought. The adjective droughty can describe dry weather, but it’s not commonly used. Something that has become dry due to a loss of moisture could be described as dried-up. Depending on the cause of the moisture loss, it could be described as drained or evaporated.

A plant that has dried up could be described as withered or shriveled. Something that has had its moisture removed intentionally could be described as dried, as in dried fruits. The word dehydrated is sometimes used to mean the same thing. This type of delivery is sometimes described as deadpan. Another nonliteral sense is used to describe something that’s dull or uninteresting because it lacks any exciting or engaging elements, as in The presentation was a bit dry—you need to liven it up a bit. Describing eyes as dry means there are no tears in them. A figurative sense of dry means not having or allowing alcohol, as in a dry town.

As a verb, dry means to remove the moisture from something, as in Dry the dishes or to lose moisture, as in Let the dishes dry in the dish drainer. The verb phrase dry off can be used for either sense. 2013 by the Philip Lief Group. See how your sentence looks with different synonyms. Malinger More With This Word Of The Day Quiz!