drying agent vs desiccant

drying agent and desiccant both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
drying agent	Yes	No	No	No
desiccant	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, drying agent and desiccant are synonyms defined as:

drying agent and desiccant: a substance that promotes drying (e.g., calcium oxide absorbs water and is used to remove moisture)

Other synonyms of drying agent include drier, siccative.

drying agent (noun)	desiccant (noun)
a substance that promotes drying (e.g., calcium oxide absorbs water and is used to remove moisture)	a substance that promotes drying (e.g., calcium oxide absorbs water and is used to remove moisture)