arid

American  

[ar-id] / ˈær ɪd /

adjective

1. being without moisture; extremely dry; parched.

   arid land;

   an arid climate.

2. barren or unproductive because of lack of moisture.

   arid farmland.

3. lacking interest or imaginativeness; sterile.

   an arid treatment of an exciting topic.

   Synonyms:

   pedantic , jejune , uninspiring , uninspired , vapid , dreary , tedious , dull

   Antonyms

   imaginative , spirited , exciting , interesting , lively

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arid British  

/ ˈærɪd, əˈrɪdɪtɪ /

adjective

1. having little or no rain; dry; parched with heat

2. devoid of interest

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arid Scientific  

/ ăr′ĭd /

1. Very dry, especially having less precipitation than is needed to support most trees or woody plants. Deserts have arid climates.

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Related Words

See dry.

Other Word Forms

• aridity noun
• aridly adverb
• aridness noun
• hyperarid adjective

Etymology

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; -id ⁴; ash ¹

Example Sentences

Like Iran, Israel had an arid climate and a fast-growing population.

From The Wall Street Journal

Iran, a largely arid country, has for years suffered chronic dry spells and heat waves expected to worsen with climate change.

From Barron's

Heat-resistant and fast-growing, prosopis initially promised to curb soil erosion and provide shade to cool the local micro-climate in Afar's arid lowlands.

From Barron's

U.S. assistance has become increasingly important as al Qaeda and Islamic State militants conduct insurgencies across a vast stretch of West Africa, including Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali in the arid Sahel region.

From The Wall Street Journal

The dates will be planted in the arid Thar Desert of northern India to help reclaim the land and create employment.

From BBC

Related Words

• barren
• bone-dry
• desert
• dusty
• parched