dank

adjective

ˈdaŋk 

: unpleasantly moist or wet

a dank basement

dankly adverb

dankness noun

Synonyms

• damp
• dampish
• moist
• wettish

Choose the Right Synonym for dank

wet, damp, dank, moist, humid mean covered or more or less soaked with liquid.

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

damp implies a slight or moderate absorption and often connotes an unpleasant degree of moisture.

clothes will mildew if stored in a damp place

dank implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness.

a prisoner in a cold, dank cell

moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry.

treat the injury with moist heat

humid applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air.

a hot, humid climate

Examples of dank in a Sentence

vegetables tended to go bad quickly in the dank cellar

Recent Examples on the Web

But a mood is brewed — dank and laced with hints of fantasy — and if Peter Strickland and Alex Garland got to these ideas sooner, those guys are swell company to be in. —Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2025

On a dank quay beneath Paris’s Pont Alexandre III, a beauty moment of epic proportions was born. —Jessica Diner, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2025

In the dull, dank dark So where were the most diverse bacterial and archaeal populations? —Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025

The film’s most harrowing moments show Eunice’s interrogation by the military, when she is taken from her home, with no contact with the outside world, and spends 12 days in a dark, dank cell, hearing the screams of people being tortured coming through the walls. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English danke

First Known Use

1573, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dank

adjective

ˈdaŋk 

: unpleasantly moist or wet

dankly adverb

dankness noun