dank.

unpleasantly damp and often cold

Use it for

Words that belong together

• dank cellar
• dank air
• dank stone

On the page

The dank cellar chilled her through the sleeves.

A dank smell of wet stone rose from below.

They climbed out of the dank tunnel into warm air.

Usage notes

Primary curation section: Gothic. Specifies clammy environmental dampness, not every wet surface. Generally unfavorable; no smell is required by the meaning. Comparative: danker; superlative: dankest. Related noun: dankness.