arid

[ar-id]

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

arid

/ ˈærɪd, əˈrɪdɪtɪ /

adjective

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

2. devoid of interest

arid

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of arid¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of arid¹

C17: from Latin āridus, from ārēre to be dry

Synonym Study

See dry.

Example Sentences

The draining of groundwater, often invisible, hides how much arid regions are drawing down their reserve accounts, he said.

From Los Angeles Times

"Private industries are being prioritised in these arid zones," she says.

From BBC

Russia has dangled the possibility of building a nuclear power plant in uranium-rich Niger - a vast, arid state on the edge of the Sahara desert that has to import most of its electricity.

From BBC

It was a small oasis at the foot of a steep, arid, rocky slope and the location, if not our conversation, felt peaceful in a way that the West Bank rarely does these days.

From BBC

And though they both revere that arid 2007 thriller, they wanted to get away from anything tied to it, so they pivoted again to the community of Truth or Consequences.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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