adjective
Other Word Forms
- flaccidity noun
- flaccidly adverb
- flaccidness noun
Etymology
Origin of flaccid
First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin flaccidus “flabby, drooping,” equivalent to flacc(ēre) “to grow weak, languish” + -idus -id 4
Explanation
If something is limp, loose, droopy, and wrinkly, you can call it flaccid, which rhymes with "acid." Think elephant skin, soggy asparagus, and the type of feeble handshakes frowned on in job interviews. We get the word flaccid from the Latin flaccus, which meant "flabby." The meaning is pretty much the same today, though it applies to more than physical flab. Flaccid pops up in conversation to describe lackluster leadership, dull conversation, and even feeble attempts at word definitions. If a politician's election campaign is flaccid, it will surprise no one that he only receives two votes — one from his grandmother and the other from someone who accidentally checked the wrong box on the ballot.
Vocabulary lists containing flaccid
A Thousand Splendid Suns
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Feeling Faint: Synonyms for "Weak"
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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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.
On offer: a spread of cheap charcuterie, including “the flaccid processed grey of a turkey ham.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
Nevertheless, its spread is troubling because the virus can lead to a rare and debilitating neurological condition called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2024
He means well, regardless of the overall impression that his lyrical skills are mediocre and his backing tracks flaccid.
From Salon • May 8, 2024
Dr Simon Thomas, chief executive of UK based graphene semiconductor start-up Paragraf, told the BBC the announcement was "quite frankly flaccid".
From BBC • May 18, 2023
He was slow and flaccid, with the kind of world-weary negativism you might find in employees behind the counter of a fast-food restaurant at a highway rest stop.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
