aridity
Americannoun
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the state or quality of being extremely dry.
Many plant and animal adaptations to withstand the intense aridity of the desert are quite bizarre.
-
the quality of lacking interest, liveliness, or imaginativeness; sterility.
His writing style is excellent, avoiding the technical aridity of most professional science publications.
Etymology
Origin of aridity
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin āriditāt-, stem of āriditās, equivalent to ārid(us) “dry” ( see arid ( def. )) + -itās -ity ( def. )
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.
But it isn’t just the heat—it’s the aridity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
The desert's extreme aridity makes it one of the clearest places on Earth to view the night sky and is famous for being home to the largest radio telescope in the world.
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025
Unsustainable land use also contributes to the aridity problem, with frogs frequently suffering as humans develop their homes for commercial, residential and other uses.
From Salon • Oct. 22, 2024
The extra heat and aridity may then make conditions favorable for more fire.
From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2024
From a geographer’s point of view, it is a splendid anomaly, commencing with its extreme aridity.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
