Meaning & use
dampen
Last updated
To make something slightly wet, or to reduce the intensity or enthusiasm of something.
See it in a sentence
Rain began to dampen the picnic blanket.
The bad news did nothing to dampen her excitement about the trip.
A note on using this word
Very commonly used figuratively, as in 'dampen someone's spirits' or 'dampen enthusiasm,' more often than in its literal sense.
Words with a similar meaning
moistendispirit
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
dryboost
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