dryness
/ˈdraɪnəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdraɪnəs/ (ame, ipa)
dryness — 名詞
1. the condition of something having very little or no water or liquid in it
乾燥
缺乏水分或液體的狀態
the condition of something having very little or no water or liquid in it
The dryness of the earth left deep cracks running across the field.
地面的乾燥讓田野裡出現了深深的裂縫。
Yuki noticed the towel's dryness and realised someone had already used it.
Yuki 注意到毛巾是乾的，才意識到有人已經用過了。
collocation: 'noticed the dryness' — perceiving lack of moisture
After the long summer, the dryness inside the old wooden cupboard had split every door.
漫長夏季過後，舊木櫃內部的乾燥讓每一扇門都裂開了。
Chinwe pressed a finger into the soil to check its dryness before watering her seedlings.
Chinwe 用手指按了按泥土來檢查乾燥程度，然後才為幼苗澆水。
The bread's dryness told Fatima it had been sitting on the counter since yesterday.
麵包的乾燥程度告訴 Fatima 它從昨天就一直放在檯面上。
- aridity
more formal and scientific; used mainly for climates and soil
- parchedness
suggests extreme dryness, often from heat or sun exposure
- dehydration
used for living things or food that have lost water
2. a situation in which a place receives little or no rain over a stretch of time,
乾旱
降雨量極少的情況或時期
a situation in which a place receives little or no rain over a stretch of time, often causing problems for farming and water supply
The dryness in western Maharashtra forced rice growers to switch to drought-tolerant millet.
馬哈拉施特拉邦西部的乾旱迫使稻農改種耐旱的小米。
Amara remembered the summer of nineteen eighty-three for its record-breaking dryness.
Amara 記得一九八三年的夏天，因為當時的乾旱破了紀錄。
Long periods of dryness in the valley had shrunk the reservoir to half its normal size.
山谷長時間的乾旱讓水庫縮到正常大小的一半。
The dryness of the past three seasons left the hillsides brown and cracked.
過去三季的乾旱讓山坡變得枯黃龜裂。
Seo-jun's village coped with the dryness by digging deeper and deeper wells.
Seo-jun 的村莊靠著不斷挖更深的井來應對乾旱。
3. the condition of skin or hair when it does not produce enough natural oils, leav
乾澀
皮膚或頭髮缺少天然油脂的狀態
the condition of skin or hair when it does not produce enough natural oils, leaving it feeling rough, tight, or unhealthy
Dmitri treated the dryness on his elbows with a thick cream made from shea butter.
Dmitri 用厚厚的乳木果油霜來處理手肘的乾澀。
collocation: 'treated the dryness on [body part]'
Frequent swimming in chlorinated water added to the dryness of Javier's hair.
經常在含氯的泳池游泳讓 Javier 的頭髮更加乾澀。
Levent's hands showed signs of dryness after he spent the morning handling cardboard boxes.
Levent 搬了一上午紙箱後，雙手出現了乾澀的跡象。
The dryness around Naledi's knuckles worsened every winter when the heating came on.
每年冬天暖氣一開，Naledi 指節周圍的乾澀就會惡化。
Ingrid chose a gentle soap to avoid adding to the dryness of her face.
Ingrid 選了一款溫和的肥皂，以免加劇臉部的乾澀。
用法筆記
Subject is always skin, hair, or a body part — this sense does not apply to objects, weather, or food.
常見錯誤
4. a quality of being dull and unexciting, without emotional warmth or imagination
枯燥
缺乏趣味、枯燥乏味的特質
a quality of being dull and unexciting, without emotional warmth or imagination — used especially about writing, talks, or performances
The dryness of the professor's lecture sent half the students scrolling through their phones.
教授講課的枯燥讓一半學生開始滑手機。
pattern: 'the dryness of [talk/lecture/speech]'
Fatima struggled through the dryness of the legal contract before signing it.
Fatima 吃力地啃完那份枯燥的法律合約後才簽了名。
Critics at the Edinburgh fringe noted the dryness of the opening act but cheered the lively second half.
愛丁堡藝穗節的評論家指出開幕表演的枯燥，但為生動的後半場喝彩。
Tane found the dryness of the committee report hard to push through on a Friday afternoon.
Tane 覺得那份委員會報告枯燥得讓人難以在週五下午讀下去。
The dryness of the textbook made Soren wonder if the author had ever met a real student.
教科書的枯燥讓 Soren 懷疑作者到底有沒有見過真正的學生。
用法筆記
Often used about written or spoken material. Distinguish from sense 5 (dry humour): sense 4 describes something that is simply boring, while sense 5 describes humour that is clever and intentionally understated.
常見錯誤
5. a style of humour that is clever and restrained, delivered without smiling or ob
冷幽默
巧妙而不露聲色的幽默風格
a style of humour that is clever and restrained, delivered without smiling or obvious joking signals so that listeners need a moment to realise it is a joke
Naledi's dryness often left new colleagues unsure whether she was joking or completely serious.
Naledi 的冷幽默常讓新同事搞不清楚她是在開玩笑還是認真的。
collocation: 'left [people] unsure' — a hallmark of dry humour
At the press briefing, the dryness of the mayor's reply took reporters three full seconds to process.
市長在記者會上回應的冷幽默讓記者們愣了三秒才反應過來。
Ingrid loved the dryness of British panel shows, where hosts insult guests without cracking a smile.
Ingrid 很喜歡英國綜藝節目裡的冷幽默，主持人可以不苟言笑地挖苦來賓。
Dmitri delivered the entire apology with such dryness that his brother burst out laughing.
Dmitri 用十足的冷幽默完成了整段道歉，他弟弟聽了忍不住大笑。
The dryness in Yuki's email — thanking the boss for 'another thrilling meeting' — went completely unnoticed.
Yuki 郵件裡的冷幽默——感謝老闆安排了「又一場精彩的會議」——完全沒有人發現。
- deadpan
more about facial expression and delivery style; dryness can exist in writing too
- wryness
similar but often implies a touch of irony or bittersweetness
- understatement
a broader term; dryness is one specific way of understating for comic effect
用法筆記
Often appears in phrases like 'delivered with dryness' or 'the dryness of his tone'. This is a positive quality (clever and subtle), unlike sense 4 which is negative (boring).
常見錯誤
6. the quality in a wine, cider, or similar alcoholic drink of having little or no
不甜
酒類不帶甜味的特質
the quality in a wine, cider, or similar alcoholic drink of having little or no sweetness on the tongue
Chinwe preferred the dryness of the Sauvignon Blanc over the sweeter Riesling.
Chinwe 偏好 Sauvignon Blanc 的不甜口感，勝過較甜的 Riesling。
collocation: 'preferred the dryness of [wine name]'
The waiter explained that the wine's dryness came from fully fermenting all the grape sugars.
服務生解釋說，這款酒的不甜來自於將葡萄的糖分完全發酵。
Fatima found the dryness of the hard cider too sharp for her taste.
Fatima 覺得那款硬蘋果酒太不甜了，不合她的口味。
The dryness of the champagne balanced the richness of the fried appetisers perfectly.
香檳的不甜完美地平衡了油炸開胃菜的油膩感。
Javier asked for a wine with more dryness after tasting the overly sweet house white.
Javier 嚐過那杯過甜的店酒後，要求換一杯更不甜的葡萄酒。
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively for alcoholic drinks — wine, cider, champagne. Not used for soft drinks, juice, or food.
常見錯誤
7. the state of staying away from alcohol or drugs, especially when someone has pre
戒癮
戒除酒精或毒品的狀態
the state of staying away from alcohol or drugs, especially when someone has previously struggled with drinking too much
Amara's five years of dryness began with a single decision to pour every bottle down the sink.
Amara 五年的戒酒生涯始於一個決定：把每一瓶酒都倒進水槽。
collocation: 'years of dryness' — duration of sobriety
The support group celebrated each member's dryness with small tokens and quiet applause.
互助團體用小禮物和安靜的掌聲來慶祝每位成員的戒酒。
Seo-jun's doctor told him the dryness had already started to reverse the damage to his liver.
Seo-jun 的醫生告訴他，戒酒已經開始逆轉他肝臟的損傷。
Levent found the first month of dryness the hardest, when social events still revolved around drinks.
Levent 覺得戒酒的第一個月最難熬，因為那時社交活動仍圍繞著喝酒。
The dryness requirement was non-negotiable during Tane's probation period at the recovery centre.
在復健中心，戒酒要求是 Tane 緩刑期間不可妥協的條件。
- sobriety
the most direct synonym; slightly more common in everyday use
- abstinence
broader — covers avoiding any substance or behaviour, not just alcohol
- teetotalism
refers to the lifestyle choice of never drinking, not necessarily recovery
用法筆記
Almost always refers to someone who previously had an alcohol problem. Not used for someone who simply chooses not to drink for personal reasons. Common in recovery and medical contexts.