Dictionary.com

arid

[ ar-id ]
/ ˈær ɪd /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: arid / aridity / aridness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
being without moisture; extremely dry; parched: arid land;an arid climate.
barren or unproductive because of lack of moisture: arid farmland.
lacking interest or imaginativeness; sterile: an arid treatment of an exciting topic.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of arid

First recorded in 1645–55; from French or directly from Latin āridus, equivalent to ār(ēre) “to be dry” + -idus adjective suffix; see -id4; cf. ash1

synonym study for arid

1. See dry.

OTHER WORDS FROM arid

a·rid·i·ty [uh-rid-i-tee], /əˈrɪd ɪ ti/, ar·id·ness, nounar·id·ly, adverbhy·per·ar·id, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use arid in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for arid

arid
/ (ˈærɪd) /

adjective
having little or no rain; dry; parched with heat
devoid of interest

Derived forms of arid

aridity (əˈrɪdɪtɪ) or aridness, nounaridly, adverb

Word Origin for arid

C17: from Latin āridus, from ārēre to be dry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for arid

arid
[ ărĭd ]

Very dry, especially having less precipitation than is needed to support most trees or woody plants. Deserts have arid climates.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK