Synonyms for Parched: 50 Words to Describe Dryness and Thirst

Last summer, I went hiking under the blazing sun. By noon, my throat felt dry, my lips cracked, and I was completely parched. I rushed to drink some water and felt instant relief.

The word parched means very dry or very thirsty. Words like dehydrated, dry, or scorched make your writing more descriptive and interesting.

List of Synonyms

1. Dry

Meaning: Lacking moisture.

Examples:

• The soil was dry after the long summer.
• His hands felt dry and rough.

2. Arid

Meaning: Extremely dry; little rain.

Examples:

• The desert is arid and barren.
• Farmers struggled with arid land.

3. Thirsty

Meaning: Needing water or liquid.

Examples:

• I felt thirsty after jogging.
• The dog looked very thirsty.

4. Dehydrated

Meaning: Lacking water in the body.

Examples:

• She was dehydrated after the marathon.
• Drinking water helps if you are dehydrated.

5. Scorched

Meaning: Very hot and dry; burned by heat.

Examples:

• The grass was scorched by the sun.
• The fields looked scorched and brown.

6. Sere

Meaning: Dry and withered.

Examples:

• The sere leaves crumbled in my hand.
• The garden looked sere in the heat.

7. Parched-up

Meaning: Extremely dry.

Examples:

• His lips were parched-up.
• The parched-up ground cracked in the sun.

8. Bone-dry

Meaning: Completely dry.

Examples:

• The riverbed was bone-dry.
• The soil was bone-dry and hard.

9. Wilted

Meaning: Dry and limp due to heat or lack of water.

Examples:

• The flowers were wilted in the sun.
• She picked wilted leaves from the plant.

10. Scant

Meaning: Very little moisture.

Examples:

• The scant rain didn’t help the crops.
• The soil had scant water.

11. Blistering

Meaning: Extremely hot and dry.

Examples:

• We walked under the blistering sun.
• The blistering heat made us tired.

12. Droughty

Meaning: Lacking rain; dry.

Examples:

• The droughty season harmed the crops.
• Rivers ran low in droughty areas.

13. Dusty

Meaning: Covered with dry dust.

Examples:

• The dusty roads made my eyes water.
• The old house was dusty inside.

14. Heat-stricken

Meaning: Affected by extreme heat.

Examples:

• The hikers were heat-stricken.
• The heat-stricken city looked deserted.

15. Desiccated

Meaning: Completely dried out.

Examples:

• The desiccated fruits were stored in jars.
• The desiccated soil cracked easily.

16. Aridified

Meaning: Made very dry.

Examples:

• The sun aridified the land.
• The aridified fields could not grow crops.

17. Withered

Meaning: Shriveled and dry.

Examples:

• The withered leaves fell from the tree.
• She picked withered flowers from the garden.

18. Toasty

Meaning: Warm and dry.

Examples:

• The toasty bread smelled delicious.
• We enjoyed the toasty weather in the morning.

19. Parched-out

Meaning: Very thirsty or dry.

Examples:

• He was parched-out after running.
• The parched-out field cracked in the sun.

20. Sun-baked

Meaning: Dried by the sun.

Examples:

• The sun-baked ground was hard.
• The sun-baked desert stretched far.

21. Waterless

Meaning: Without water.

Examples:

• The riverbed was waterless.
• The garden looked waterless in the heat.

22. Arid-land

Meaning: Dry, desert-like land.

Examples:

• The arid-land was empty and barren.
• Farmers struggled in arid-land areas.

23. Scorched-earth

Meaning: Extremely dry and burned.

Examples:

• The scorched-earth looked lifeless.
• The scorched-earth made planting impossible.

24. Sun-scorched

Meaning: Burned or dried by the sun.

Examples:

• The sun-scorched grass was brown.
• They walked across sun-scorched fields.

25. Burning

Meaning: Very hot and dry.

Examples:

• The burning sun made the sand hot.
• He felt burning thirst after the run.

26. Aridified-soil

Meaning: Soil made very dry.

Examples:

• The aridified-soil cracked under the sun.
• Farmers watered the aridified-soil carefully.

27. Dried-up

Meaning: No moisture left.

Examples:

• The river dried-up completely.
• The dried-up lake was empty.

28. Fire-dried

Meaning: Dried as if by heat or fire.

Examples:

• The fire-dried wood was ready for the stove.
• The fire-dried soil cracked easily.

29. Heat-dried

Meaning: Dried by heat.

Examples:

• The heat-dried clothes smelled fresh.
• The heat-dried mud broke apart.

30. Parched-land

Meaning: Land that is very dry.

Examples:

• The parched-land needed water.
• Crops failed on the parched-land.

31. Deserted

Meaning: Empty and dry like a desert.

Examples:

• The deserted street looked lonely.
• The land looked deserted after the heat.

32. Drought-stricken

Meaning: Affected by lack of rain.

Examples:

• Farmers in drought-stricken areas needed help.
• The drought-stricken fields were brown.

33. Blanched

Meaning: Pale and dry-looking.

Examples:

• The blanched leaves fell in the wind.
• The blanched landscape looked tired.

34. Aridity

Meaning: Extreme dryness.

Examples:

• The aridity of the desert is harsh.
• Plants struggle in aridity.

35. Water-scarce

Meaning: Not enough water.

Examples:

• The water-scarce region suffered.
• Crops failed in water-scarce soil.

36. Scorched-land

Meaning: Land dried and burned by heat.

Examples:

• The scorched-land needed irrigation.
• Fires burned the scorched-land badly.

37. Sun-dried

Meaning: Dried by the sun.

Examples:

• The sun-dried tomatoes were tasty.
• The sun-dried mud cracked.

38. Dust-baked

Meaning: Dried and hard due to dust and heat.

Examples:

• The dusty roads were dust-baked.
• The fields looked dust-baked after weeks of sun.

39. Desolate

Meaning: Empty and dry.

Examples:

• The desolate desert stretched far.
• The desolate land had no plants.

40. Heat-strained

Meaning: Dried and stressed by heat.

Examples:

• The heat-strained soil cracked.
• The plants were heat-strained.

41. Aridified-land

Meaning: Land made very dry.

Examples:

• The aridified-land could not grow crops.
• The aridified-land was hard and cracked.

42. Thirst-inducing

Meaning: Makes you very thirsty.

Examples:

• The sun was thirst-inducing.
• The long hike was thirst-inducing.

43. Bone-parched

Meaning: Extremely dry or thirsty.

Examples:

• He was bone-parched after the run.
• The bone-parched soil cracked in heat.

44. Sun-scorched-earth

Meaning: Land dried and burned by sun.

Examples:

• The sun-scorched-earth looked barren.
• Farmers watered the sun-scorched-earth.

45. Dry-as-dust

Meaning: Extremely dry.

Examples:

• The soil was dry-as-dust.
• His lips felt dry-as-dust.

46. Withered-land

Meaning: Dry and shriveled land.

Examples:

• The withered-land needed rain.
• Crops failed on the withered-land.

47. Crackling

Meaning: Very dry, making small cracking sounds.

Examples:

• The crackling leaves were dry.
• The fire made a crackling sound.

48. Oven-dried

Meaning: Dried using heat.

Examples:

• The oven-dried bread smelled good.
• Oven-dried herbs keep longer.

49. Heat-parched

Meaning: Dried by heat.

Examples:

• The heat-parched earth cracked.
• The heat-parched flowers wilted.

50. Arid-zone

Meaning: A very dry area.

Examples:

• The arid-zone had few plants.
• They studied the arid-zone for research.

Conclusion

Learning synonyms for parched helps you describe dryness, thirst, or heat clearly. Use these words in stories or daily conversation to make your writing vivid and precise.