dank

Everyday

1. Unpleasantly cold, wet and stale-smelling: «a dank cellar». tree →
2. (slang, mostly US, young people) Excellent, cool. tree →

In the lessons

A setting word in stories for gloomy dungeons, caves, cellars and old tunnels; it tells the reader the place is uncomfortable and maybe frightening. Science link: dank places grow mould. The slang sense is used jokingly online and by teenagers.

Examples

• The dungeon was dark and dank. tree →
• A dank smell came from the old cellar. tree →
• Moss grew on the dank walls of the tunnel. tree →
• The Mole's tunnels felt dank in winter. tree →
• The house was dank after the flood. tree →
• (slang) «That new game is dank!» said my cousin. tree →

Note

Always about cold wetness, never pleasant (compare «damp», which is milder, and «moist»). The slang sense is very informal; do not use it in written work.