dross

noun

ˈdräs 

ˈdrȯs

1

metallurgy : the scum or unwanted material that forms on the surface of molten metal

2

: waste or foreign matter : impurity

3

: something that is base (see base entry 3 sense 1), trivial, or inferior

There is quite a lot of dross on TV these days.

a talent for turning literary dross into gold

drossy

ˈdrä-sē 

ˈdrȯ-

adjective

Did you know?

Dross has been a part of the English language since Anglo-Saxon times. It comes from the Old English word drōs, meaning "dregs," those solid materials that fall to the bottom of a container full of a liquid such as coffee or wine. While dross today is used to refer to anything of low value or quality, its earliest use is technical: dross is a metallurgy term referring to solid scum that forms on the surface of a metal when it is molten or melting—remove the dross to improve the metal. The metallurgical sense of the word is often hinted at in its general use, with dross set in contrast to gold, as when 19th century British poet Christina Rossetti wrote "Besides, those days were golden days, / Whilst these are days of dross."

Synonyms

• chaff
• deadwood
• debris
• dreck
• drek
• dust
• effluvium
• effluvia
• garbage
• junk
• litter
• offal
• offscouring
• raffle
• refuse
• riffraff
• rubbish
• scrap
• spilth
• trash
• truck
• waste

Examples of dross in a Sentence

There is quite a lot of dross on TV these days.

His editor has a talent for turning literary dross into gold.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mixed in with the everyday dross are a few sparkly flecks of strangeness, curious anomalies that might be clues to a larger mystery. —Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024

But indie rocker Rosie Tucker’s Utopia Now! finds beauty in the dross of late capitalism. —Nate Sloan, Vulture, 10 May 2024

Maybe our own era will look better in retrospect, when all the dross is cleared away. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2023

Suffice it to say that this book contains both wheat and chaff, both gold and dross. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 9 Oct. 2023

There’s a lot of dross, to be sure, but there’s also so much that’s good. —Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Aug. 2023

Television had at last ditched its (unfair) reputation as mindless dross; the people who sold television at least seemed to understand how limitless the art form could be. —Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2023

But there’s a bit too much dross amid what works — a sign of the times in terms of series orders being bulked out beyond what the story can sustain, and a reminder that, as a writer, Rice was not known for the gift of concision. —Daniel D'addario, Variety, 3 Jan. 2023

Biden has turned gold into dross and, amazingly, expects to be rewarded for it. —Matthew Continetti, National Review, 15 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dros, from Old English drōs dregs

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

dross

noun

ˈdräs 

ˈdrȯs

1

: the scum that forms on molten metal

2

: waste or foreign matter