rancid
Americanadjective
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having a rank, unpleasant, stale smell or taste, as through decomposition, especially of fats or oils.
rancid butter.
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(of an odor or taste) rank, unpleasant, and stale.
a rancid smell.
-
offensive or nasty; disagreeable.
adjective
-
(of butter, bacon, etc) having an unpleasant stale taste or smell as the result of decomposition
-
(of a taste or smell) rank or sour; stale
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of rancid
1640–50; < Latin rancidus rank, stinking, equivalent to ranc ( ēre ) to be rotten + -idus -id 4
Explanation
Rancid means sour, rotten, and nasty and refers most specifically to the sharp bad smell of decomposing oils or fats. "Rancid" is a great name for a post-punk band, but a lousy way to describe the sauce on your eggs Benedict. If you've never had the pleasure of smelling something rancid, life has quite a wallop in store for you. As meat, fat, or oil decomposes the chemical change creates a sharp wretched stink that will cause you to recoil. It's just foul. The powerful horrendous fragrance of rancid butter, therefore, makes the word wonderfully potent to describe all sorts of things — from a corrupt dictatorship to a party that's gone on a few hours too long.
Vocabulary lists containing rancid
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As Nolso opens the door, a rancid odour escaped.
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
Despite his rancid politics, Wagner was a true genius who remains popular nearly 150 years after his death.
From Salon • Oct. 1, 2025
"It's an absolutely rancid, horrible smell, and it just burns your throat," says Pauline Claridge who has lived in this part of Rainham for 15 years.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025
A pungent, fishy rancid odor has been wafting through the coastal air in Los Angeles this week, an unfortunate consequence of beautiful bioluminescent algae that has graced local beaches for a fortnight.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2024
My gut clenches in fear; then there’s that rancid hate, flashing up in an instant.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
