Wet Similes
Wet is the easiest sense to evoke and the hardest to make interesting. Everyone knows what wet feels like, so the simile has to do something more than confirm the obvious - it has to suggest a degree, a kind, or a consequence.
"As wet as a drowned rat" is the workhorse, and for good reason: it tells you the wetness is unwilling, embarrassing, and probably involves rain that wasn't forecast. Variants lean on fish out of water, soaked sponges, and weather that has personality. Notice that the strongest wet similes carry a mood - misery, surprise, or comedy - rather than just dampness.
Where these earn their keep is in scenes of weather, sweat, or panic. A character who's "wet as a fish" has been through it. A character who's "wet as a swamp" probably is one. Use them to compress an entire moment of soaked indignity into four words.
Below: every "as wet as" simile in the SimileStack database, from the Victorian to the regrettable. Pick the one with the mood you actually want.
- Wetter than a spastic’s chin
- Wetter than an otter’s pocket
- As slow as a wet weekend
- As dejected as a wet hen
- As disappointing as wet gunpowder
- As wet as a fish
- As wet as a drowned rat
Frequently asked
What does "as wet as" mean?
"As wet as" is a simile - a comparison using "as" to make a quality vivid. When something is "as wet as" something else, the speaker is using the second thing as a familiar example of wetness, so the reader can picture the quality instead of just reading the word.
How many "as wet as" similes are there?
SimileStack lists 7 similes for Wet. Common ones include "As dejected as a wet hen" and "As disappointing as wet gunpowder". The full list is on this page.
When should I use a "wet" simile in writing?
Use a "wet" simile when you want the reader to feel wetness rather than just register the adjective. They work especially well in description, character work, and dialogue, where one well-chosen comparison can do the work of a whole paragraph.