wet blanket

Save This Word!

See synonyms for wet blanket on Thesaurus.com

noun

a blanket dampened with water so as to extinguish a fire.

a person or thing that dampens enthusiasm or enjoyment: Nobody asked him to join the group because he's such a wet blanket.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of wet blanket

First recorded in 1655–65

Words nearby wet blanket

wet-and-dry-bulb thermometer, wetback, wet bar, wet behind the ears, Wetbike, wet blanket, wet-bulb depression, wet-bulb temperature, wet-bulb thermometer, wet cell, wet compass

Other definitions for wet blanket (2 of 2)

wet-blanket

[ wet-blang-kit ]

/ ˈwɛtˈblæŋ kɪt /

verb (used with object)

to extinguish (a fire) with a wet blanket.

to dampen the enthusiasm or enjoyment of (a person, group, etc.).

Origin of wet-blanket

First recorded in 1865–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wet blanket in a sentence

I lay out my worries here not as a wet blanket, but because I am a worrier.
A doctor on 9 things that could go wrong with the new vaccines|F. Perry Wilson|December 11, 2020|Vox
Have you noticed there are some people who would love to put a big wet blanket on all of this?
Kirk Cameron Saves Christmas from Abominable Killjoys (Other Christians)|Brandy Zadrozny|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If anything, the idea of Kristen Stewart, expert wet blanket, only got even damper.
How Jennifer Lawrence Took Over Hollywood. (It’s Not Just Because of Her Charm.)|Kevin Fallon|December 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She was an iceberg,—a beautiful kill-joy,—a wet blanket of charming texture.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 101, March, 1866|Various

But that was perhaps unnecessary; and we shall not throw a “wet blanket” upon the matter by further alluding to it.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus
A wet blanket of so terrible a size was in itself pernicious to the Cabinet, and heartrending to the poor Duke.
The Prime Minister|Anthony Trollope
So I gave him one end of a wet blanket which I was carrying, and I grabbed hold of the other end.
The Boy Scouts of Bob's Hill|Charles Pierce Burton
How much potential goodness and greatness would become actual but for the wet blanket of sullen silence!
How to be Happy Though Married|E. J. Hardy.

British Dictionary definitions for wet blanket

wet blanket

noun

informal a person whose low spirits or lack of enthusiasm have a depressing effect on others

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for wet blanket

wet blanket

Someone who dampens enthusiasm: “We were all having a good time until Harold walked in and started acting like a wet blanket.”

Other Idioms and Phrases with wet blanket

wet blanket

A person who discourages enjoyment or enthusiasm, as in Don't be such a wet blanket—the carnival will be fun! This expression alludes to smothering a fire with a wet blanket. [Early 1800s]

wet blanket

Origin of wet blanket

Words nearby wet blanket

Other definitions for wet blanket (2 of 2)

Origin of wet-blanket

Words related to wet blanket

How to use wet blanket in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wet blanket

Cultural definitions for wet blanket

Other Idioms and Phrases with wet blanket