dryness

Everyday

1. Dryness is being dry, having little or no water or wetness. tree →
2. Dryness of skin, eyes or mouth is when they feel dry and uncomfortable. tree →
3. Dryness of humour is a quiet, serious-faced way of being funny. tree →

In the lessons

Science and geography: dryness of deserts and soil, drought. Health: dry skin, eyes and lips, drinking water. In writing, dry humour. Phrases: dryness of the soil, skin dryness, dryness of the air.

Examples

• The dryness of the desert means few plants can grow. tree →
• The dryness of the soil showed we needed to water the beans. tree →
• Lip balm helps with dryness in winter. tree →
• The dryness of the air made my eyes itch. tree →
• Cacti survive dryness by storing water. tree →
• I liked the dryness of his jokes. tree →
• His very sorrow and melancholy did but increase the comic dryness of his sharply-cut features, and increased the laughter of the audience, who showered plaudits on their favourite. tree →

Note

Uncountable. Spelling keeps the y: dry + ness (not «driness»), although dried and drier change it. Opposite: wetness, moisture, damp.