arid

[ ar-id ]

/ ˈær ɪd /

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; jejune: an arid treatment of an exciting topic.

Words nearby arid

arias sánchez, arias-stella phenomenon, arias-stella reaction, ariboflavinosis, arica, arid, arid zone, aridification, aridisol, aridity index, ariel

Origin of arid

1645–55; (< F) < Latin āridus, equivalent to ār(ēre) to be dry + -idus -id⁴; cf. ash¹

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

synonym study for arid

1. See dry.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for arid

Some parts were arid, nearly barren, others green and fertile.
‘The Harness Maker’s Dream:’ The Unlikely Ranch King of Texas|Nick Kotz|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His papers are voluminous but arid, nothing of the man comes through.
When New York City Hit Its Stride|Allen Barra|July 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anguilla is an arid, flat Caribbean island surrounded on all sides by seawater.
Sun+Water= High Tech Caribbean Luxury At The Cusinart Resort|The Daily Beast|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Media people, always on perpetual deadline, can adapt even to the most arid surroundings.
Tropical Storm Isaac Sidelines Media Elite at the Republican Convention|Lauren Ashburn|August 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Without it, the seeds of change and innovation will wither in a soil that is an arid mix of negativism and defeatism.
America's Real Problem: We Failed the Middle Class|Arianna Huffington|September 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Amid the arid wastes of her philosophical works are green spots enlivened by good sense and humour that have a peculiar charm.
Woman's Work in English Fiction|Clara Helen Whitmore
At first confided to the care of an inferior professor, he revolted from the arid teachings of a mere human machine.
Great Musical Composers|George T. Ferris
Now it is an arid plain, with a few straggling blades of grass in patches here and there.
Catholic World, Vol. XI, April 1870-September 1870|Various
Large flocks of sheep, following their shepherds, wandered over the arid soil.
A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe on Rivers and Lakes of Europe|John Macgregor
He left that arid rule clear of the least mist of refinement or delicacy.
Ann Veronica|H. G. Wells

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