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Glite Dictionary
moistening

moistening

1 2.3
A small act of making something slightly wet before use
  • noun
  • /ˈmɔɪstənɪŋ/
translation icon : humectación
  • The gardener recommended regular moistening of the soil to help the plants thrive.
  • need for moistening

Examples

  • Now this is an incredibly delicate process, but by moistening the canvas I can soften the size which bonds the ground layer to the canvas.

  • 'Of course I know you're just around the corner, 'but if you'd like a ride, ' Philip said, as I felt his throbbing phallus puls... pulsate against my... moistening thigh.

    Don't Mess with Grandma (2024)

  • I have long asked whether the attendant moistening of the atmosphere plays a significant role.

    Blog text (5)

  • The need for moistening depended strongly on the season.

    Academic text (2000)

  • And then certain foods that are more moistening to the colon tend to be very good.

  • And so certain foods that are that are more yin dominant, which means they're more moistening to the body that will make things worse.

  • So just what I've done here is I've began moistening the the sterile growing medium.

  • Workers "unfolded and moistened" two reams of paper. (Moistening causes the paper

    Academic text (1995)

  • Oh, and Manimal is not even worthy to be roadkill under the cunt-moistening tires of Thomas Magnum's 308GTSi.

    Blog text (12)

  • In summer, about 0.5 m³ of water per m³ of compost was added, while in winter, moistening was not necessary at all.

    Academic text (2000)

Synonyms

dampening
vsmoistening
14 3.2

Making something a little wet

shares identical meaning and can replace it in use
wetting
vsmoistening
1 1.4

The act of making a surface wet

means making only a small amount of wetness rather than fully wet

Antonyms

to dry
570 1.0

To become free of water or wetness

How Wet

soaking
9 2.7
wetting
1 1.4
moistening
1 2.3

Surface Forms

moistening singular
moistenings plural

Morphology

moistening = moisten (transparent) = moist + en + ing

The verb 'moisten' plus the gerundive '-ing' straightforwardly forms the noun 'moistening', indicating the action or process.

Etymology

Moistening comes from moist, meaning 'slightly wet', plus the verb ending -en ('make') and the noun ending -ing. It is the same root as moisture, so moistening simply means 'the act of making something slightly wet', which is why we use it for watering soil, fabric, or the air.