dryness

Inherited from Middle English dryenesse, drynesse; equivalent to dry +‎ -ness.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹaɪ.nəs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪnəs

dryness (countable and uncountable, plural drynesses)

1. (uncountable) A lack of moisture.
   • 2023 December 6, Jessica DeFino, “Too Many Products Can Stress Out Your Skin. Here’s How to Scale Back.”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Dr. Khorana added that this is especially true of cleansers that feature surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate, as this class of ingredients can cause “dryness, irritation and eczema.”

2. The degree to which something is dry.

• Dyrness, Snyders, Synders