rancid

[ ran-sid ]

/ ˈræn sɪd /

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See synonyms for rancid on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having a rank, unpleasant, stale smell or taste, as through decomposition, especially of fats or oils: rancid butter.

(of an odor or taste) rank, unpleasant, and stale: a rancid smell.

offensive or nasty; disagreeable.

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Origin of rancid

1640–50; <Latin rancidus rank, stinking, equivalent to ranc(ēre) to be rotten + -idus-id⁴

OTHER WORDS FROM rancid

ran·cid·ly, adverbran·cid·ness, ran·cid·i·ty, nounun·ran·cid, adjective

Words nearby rancid

ranch mink, rancho, Rancho Cordova, Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Palos Verdes, rancid, rancor, rancorous, rancour, rand, R & A

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use rancid in a sentence

He toured the city’s devastated defenses in the days after Hurricane Katrina, and today remembers the sight of children’s toys floating in the rancid floodwaters, along with the stench of rotting bodies emanating from waterlogged houses.
U.S. Civil Engineers Bent the Rules to Give New Orleans Extra Protection from Hurricanes. Those Adjustments Might Have Saved the City During Ida|Alejandro de la Garza|September 2, 2021|Time
Exporters made it even cheaper with labor-saving methods that allowed palm fruit to ferment and soften, though the results were rancid.
The fascinating and complex rise of palm oil|Purbita Saha|June 29, 2021|Popular-Science
History suggests he will stubbornly try to hold on to his rancid reign in any way possible — convincing himself, and as much of the public as he can, that he is still president.
Gene Weingarten: It ain’t over until the fat man sings|Gene Weingarten|January 14, 2021|Washington Post
You know the cartoon segment that used to be in colour in rancid old newspapers?
The Rancid Ballad of Johnny Rotten: His Memoir Seethes With Anger—And Charm|Legs McNeil|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The workers had to use oxygen tanks to combat the rancid smell of death in temperatures that topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Italy: Migrants Dying en Masse|Barbie Latza Nadeau|July 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No, this rancid bill of goods is also being by peddled by Fox News personalities.
The Right’s Dangerous Rhetoric: Obama as an ‘Enemy Combatant’|Dean Obeidallah|February 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Any way you turn, the “hope” Obama has promised is turning rancid, writes Stuart Stevens.
Hope Isn’t Enough: Without Conviction or Destination, Obama Flounders|Stuart Stevens|July 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I will be happy if events prove me too pessimistic, but the political atmosphere in Washington is rancid.
This Isn’t Obama’s Malaise, It’s GOP Intransigence|Robert Shrum|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Bradfords found that the skin was full of a strong—almost rancid—oil, but the flesh, though rather flavorless, was not bad.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
Truffaldino brought him the vessel, examined the expectoration, and found in it a mass of rancid rotten rhymes.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first|Count Carlo Gozzi
The steward supplied each mess with a daily allowance of biscuit, pork or beef, and rancid butter.
A History of the City of Brooklyn and Kings County Volume II|Stephen M. Ostrander
It is generally a greasy stew of mutton, soaked with rancid butter and saffron, and seasoned with asafoetida.
Mogreb-el-Acksa|R. B. Cunninghame Graham
The English girl had milk with her coffee and some slices of bread spread with rancid butter.
Olive in Italy|Moray Dalton

British Dictionary definitions for rancid

rancid

/ (ˈrænsɪd) /

adjective

(of butter, bacon, etc) having an unpleasant stale taste or smell as the result of decomposition

(of a taste or smell) rank or sour; stale

Derived forms of rancid

rancidity (rænˈsɪdɪtɪ) or rancidness, noun

Word Origin for rancid

C17: from Latin rancidus rank, from rancēre to stink

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

Medical definitions for rancid

rancid

[ răn′sĭd ]

adj.

Having the disagreeable odor or taste of decomposing oils or fats.

rancid

Origin of rancid

OTHER WORDS FROM rancid

Words nearby rancid

Words related to rancid

How to use rancid in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rancid

Derived forms of rancid

Word Origin for rancid

Medical definitions for rancid