humid
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does humid mean? Humid is used to describe air that is full of water vapor. Humid is most commonly applied to weather or the general climate of a place, especially when the temperature is hot. The noun form of humid is humidity. Example: Summertime in Florida is almost unbearably humid.
Synonym Usage
See damp.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of humid
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin (h)ūmidus, equivalent to (h)ūm(ēre) “to be moist” + -idus -id 4
Explanation
When there is a lot of moisture in the air, it is humid out. The air in a rain forest is humid, the air in a desert is dry. People like to say that it's not the heat that bothers them, it's the humidity. They say this because when it is humid, or when there is a lot of water in the air, the heat feels hotter. It also makes wavy hair frizzy and straight hair limp. Air that is cold and moist is called damp, so when people talk about humid air, think tropical, as that's usually how the word is meant.
Vocabulary lists containing humid
The Sweltering Words of Summer
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Seedfolks
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Mexico - Introductory
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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.
Florida’s players held up better in the hot and humid conditions and won in an upset.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Fortunately, the weather service is expecting this heat event to be less humid than those this summer, Schoenfeld said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Despite the cloud, it will feel warm and humid due to the south-westerly winds dragging in warm and moist air from the mid-Atlantic.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
They included members of the Pooideae subfamily, which favor temperate or cool conditions, as well as Panicoideae grasses, which generally thrive in warmer and more humid environments.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
Lola loves to tell us her memories of these colorful little stores and shacks in the Philippines where everyone stops for sodas and treats on hot, humid days.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
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.
