Standard Lemma guide

waterless

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈwɔːtə(ɹ)ləs/
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1

adj

Meaning 1

Dry, arid, lacking water.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • The waterless desert can kill in many ways but dehydration is often fastest.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not requiring water.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • How does a waterless urinal have a drain trap?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

lacking sufficient water or rainfall

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an arid climate
  • a waterless well
  • miles of waterless country to cross

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: arid

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English waterles, waterlees, from Old English wæterlēas (“waterless”), from Proto-Germanic *watōrlausaz, equivalent to water + -less. Cognate with Saterland Frisian woaterloos (“waterless”), West Frisian wetterleas (“waterless”), Dutch waterloos (“waterless”), German wasserlos (“waterless”), Swedish vattenlös (“waterless”), Icelandic vatnslaus (“waterless”).

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: безводен (bezvoden) — lacking water
  • Catalan: anhidre — lacking water
  • Danish: vandløs — lacking water
  • Esperanto: senakva — lacking water
  • Greek: άνυδρος (ánydros) — lacking water
  • Ancient Greek: ἄνυδρος (ánudros) — lacking water
  • Ido: senaqua — lacking water
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vannløs — lacking water
  • Polish: bezwodny — lacking water
  • Scottish Gaelic: gun uisge — lacking water
  • Spanish: sin agua — lacking water
  • Turkish: susuz — lacking water
  • Ottoman Turkish: صوسز (susuz) — lacking water