dry texter

A dry texter is someone whose messages are short, flat and low-effort: “k,” “lol,” “nice,” and not much else. Texting them feels like carrying the whole conversation yourself.

What it means

“Dry” here just means dull, with no energy. The Cambridge Dictionary added “dry texting” to its list of new words in November 2025 and described it as sending very short texts, sometimes one-word answers, that may suggest a lack of interest.

That last part is the worry in dating. If your crush answers a long message with “haha true,” it’s easy to read it as rejection. But plenty of dry texters are just busy, tired, or people who hate texting and would rather talk in person.

Signs of a dry texter

• One-word replies, or just an emoji
• Never asks a question back
• Takes hours to reply, then replies with “yeah”
• Lets every conversation die unless you restart it

Examples

• “I sent a paragraph and he said ‘cool.’ Dry texter.”
• “She’s so fun in person, but she’s the driest texter alive.”
• “Me: how was your weekend? Him: good. That’s it. That’s the reply.”

Where it came from

No one is credited with the phrase. It grew out of everyday texting slang among teens and young adults, and it was common online well before any dictionary caught up.

Dry texting vs. ghosting

A dry texter still replies, just barely. Ghosting is when someone stops replying altogether. Dry texting can be a personality thing; ghosting is a decision.

Related terms

• ghosting: disappearing without explanation
• breadcrumbing: sending just enough attention to keep you hooked
• talking stage: where dry texting hurts the most
• ick: a sudden turn-off

See more terms like this in our dating slang dictionary.