DRIER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does drier mean? 

• DRIER (noun)
  The noun DRIER has 2 senses:

1. a substance that promotes drying (e.g., calcium oxide absorbs water and is used to remove moisture)

2. an appliance that removes moisture

  Familiarity information: DRIER used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DRIER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A substance that promotes drying (e.g., calcium oxide absorbs water and is used to remove moisture)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

desiccant; drier; drying agent; siccative

Hypernyms ("drier" is a kind of...):

chemical agent (an agent that produces chemical reactions)

Derivation:

dry (remove the moisture from and make dry)

dry (become dry or drier)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An appliance that removes moisture

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

drier; dryer

Hypernyms ("drier" is a kind of...):

appliance (durable goods for home or office use)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "drier"):

clothes drier; clothes dryer (a dryer that dries clothes wet from washing)

blow drier; blow dryer; hair drier; hair dryer; hand blower (a hand-held electric blower that can blow warm air onto the hair; used for styling hair)

Derivation:

dry (remove the moisture from and make dry)

dry (become dry or drier)

 Context examples 

This latest clue may be a sign of findings to come as Curiosity heads toward a region called the "sulfate-bearing unit," which is expected to have formed in an even drier environment.

(NASA's Curiosity Rover Finds an Ancient Oasis on Mars, NASA)

At the same time, deserts are becoming drier, setting some species up for a severe crash, if not extinction, according to a new study.

(Collapse of desert bird populations likely due to heat stress from climate change, National Science Foundation)

Alleyne, glancing round for shelter, saw a thick and lofty holly-bush, so hollowed out beneath that no house could have been drier.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

If Saturn's deep atmosphere were drier, scientists would expect continuous, smaller storms, as observed on Jupiter.

(Study Explains Saturn's Epic Tantrums, NASA)

South America's climate became drier, subtropical grasslands expanded and the number of mammal species that depended on grasses increased.

(Six million years ago, atmospheric shifts led to increased diversity of grassland mammals, National Science Foundation)

On Mount Sharp, Curiosity is investigating how and when the habitable ancient conditions known from the mission's earlier findings evolved into conditions drier and less favorable for life.

(Mars Rover Views Spectacular Layered Rock Formations, NASA)

This concentration is much drier than the driest terrestrial soil, and is consistent with earlier studies.

(Meteoroid Strikes Eject Precious Water From Moon, NASA)

The role of climate change in the collapse of Classic Maya civilisation is somewhat controversial, partly because previous records are limited to qualitative reconstructions, for example whether conditions were wetter or drier.

(Scientists measure severity of drought during the Maya collapse, University of Cambridge)

Cobalt sulfate is used in the electrochemical industries, as a drier in paints and inks, as a coloring agent, in storage batteries and as a supplement for Vitamin B12 deficiency.

(Cobaltous Sulfate, NCI Thesaurus)

Even deforestation can affect downwind weather by leaving regions drier than before.

(How trees affect the weather, National Science Foundation)