Synonym Chooser

How is the word dank distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of dank are damp, humid, moist, and wet. While all these words mean "covered or more or less soaked with liquid," dank implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness.

a prisoner in a cold, dank cell

In what contexts can damp take the place of dank?

In some situations, the words damp and dank are roughly equivalent. However, damp implies a slight or moderate absorption and often connotes an unpleasant degree of moisture.

clothes will mildew if stored in a damp place

When is humid a more appropriate choice than dank?

The words humid and dank are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, humid applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air.

a hot, humid climate

Where would moist be a reasonable alternative to dank?

The words moist and dank can be used in similar contexts, but moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry.

treat the injury with moist heat

When can wet be used instead of dank?

The meanings of wet and dank largely overlap; however, wet usually implies saturation but may suggest a covering of a surface with water or something (such as paint) not yet dry.

slipped on the wet pavement

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dank The characters are burnouts and duds who’ve either messed up catastrophically at MI5 or offended the wrong person, and have ended up exiled to Slough House, a dank office far from headquarters where leaks and rats aren’t spycraft terms but very real concerns. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2024 Corbet gives us a riveting side-angle shot of the Statue of Liberty as László emerges from the ship’s dank and teeming interior. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Sep. 2024 Around them, the theatre has an aura of corrosion—dark stairways, old fixtures, dank stage. Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2024 Hannah Wiley | Los Angeles Times (TNS) SAN QUENTIN — To someone living outside these dank walls, the changes might seem small. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for dank 

Thesaurus Entries Near dank

Cite this Entry

“Dank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dank. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on dank

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