clammy
/'klæmi/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Unpleasantly cool and damp: Describes something that is disagreeably cold and moist to the touch, often causing a feeling of discomfort or stickiness.
- Lacking normal dryness and warmth: Often used to describe skin, hands, or surfaces that feel unnaturally cold and damp.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective:
- His forehead was clammy with fever.
- She wiped her clammy hands on her jeans before the interview.
- The clammy air in the cave made it difficult to breathe comfortably.
Advanced Usage
- "clammy with fear/perspiration": A common collocation describing the physical effect of anxiety or exertion.
- His palms were clammy with fear as he approached the podium.
- Used figuratively to describe an oppressive, damp atmosphere.
- The clammy silence in the room was more unsettling than any noise.
Variants and Related Words
- Clammily (adverb): In a clammy manner.
- The walls felt clammily cold.
- Clamminess (noun): The state or quality of being clammy.
- The clamminess of the cellar air was unmistakable.
Synonyms
- Damp: Slightly wet, often in a more neutral or less unpleasant way than .
- Dank: Unpleasantly damp and often cold, typically describing places (e.g., a dungeon, cellar).
- Moist: Slightly wet, can be neutral or positive (e.g., ).
- Sticky: Tending to adhere to things on contact, often due to moisture.
Antonyms
- Dry: Free from moisture or liquid.
- Warm: Having or giving out a moderate degree of heat.
- Arid: Very dry, especially of a climate.
Related Phrases and Collocations
- Clammy handshake: A handshake where the hand feels cold and damp, often perceived negatively.
- He was put off by the candidate's clammy handshake.
- Clammy skin: A common symptom of illness, shock, or nervousness.
- The nurse noted the patient's pale and clammy skin.
Adjective
- unpleasantly cool and humid
- a clammy handshake
- clammy weather
- a dank cellar
- dank rain forests