damp cloth (wet in an unpleasant way?)

[sb70012]

Both the outer and inner sides of the glass cotton ball holder can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth. This high-quality cotton bud container is a welcome addition to any vanity or countertop.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/mDesign-Cl...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Hi,
Dictionaries say that the word damp means wet in an unpleasant way. Then, does it mean the cloth in my context should be wet in an unpleasant way?

Thank you.

 

[The Newt]

No, "damp" has no negative nuance in that context.

 

[DonnyB]

While "damp" can have a negative connotation in some contexts, there it simply signifies that the glass container is easier to clean with a damp coth than it would be with a dry one.

 

[Packard]

"Clammy" has negative connotations.

His clothes felt wet and clammy.

 

[Hermione Golightly]

Either you need new dictionaries or you aren't using them properly. If things that are supposed to be dry are not, that sort of damp is unpleasant. If you deliberately make something slightly wet, like a cleaning cloth, why should it be unpleasant. A damp cloth on your forehead can be soothing, if you are sweating and hot.

 

[Andygc]

Dictionaries say that the word damp means wet in an unpleasant way.

Which dictionaries? Not the Wordreference dictionaries.

 

[Packard]

A cursory reading from Dictionary.com's entry might mislead. It is strangely presented. How do we know the intention of the dampness unless we were instrumental in making it damp?

1. Damp, humid, moist mean slightly wet. Damp usually implies slight and extraneous wetness, generally undesirable or unpleasant unless the result of intention

 

[Myridon]

damp - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

Damp usually implies slight and extraneous wetness, generally undesirable or unpleasant unless the result of intention:

There's a very important "unless" there. When you clean something with a damp cloth, you intentionally get the cloth wet.
There's also a "usually" and a "generally" so it's not always the case even when it's unintentional.