Dictionary

arid en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈæɹɪd/ (US) without the Mary–marry–merry merger
• /ˈɛɚɪd/ US, Mary–marry–merry merger
• (US) audio Mary-marry-merry
• (US) audio non-Mary-marry-merry
• /ˈaɾɪd/ (Scotland, Wales)
• /ˈæɹɪd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈaɹɪd/ (British, Southern, Standard)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eHs- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *h₂eHs-eh₁yeti Proto-Italic *āzēō Latin āreō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin āriduslbor. French arideder. ▲ Latin āridusder. English arid From French aride or directly from Latin āridus (“dry, arid, parched”), compare its synonymous contracted form ardus. Originally from the verb āreo (“to be dry, to be parched”), akin to ārdeō (“to be on fire, to burn”).

Meanings

1. Very dry.
   • The cake was arid.
2. Describing a very dry climate. Typically defined as less than 25 cm or 10 inches of rainfall annually.
   • And because this part of Utah is arid, the geologic landscape is fully revealed with very little vegetation to hide it, faults and all. 2012, Chinle Miller, In Mesozoic Lands: The Mesozoic Geology of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Kindle edition:
   • Deserts are known for being arid.
   • Once a livestock hub, Abilene has become an AI boomtown. Its arid outskirts are home to the flagship campus of Stargate, the data-center partnership between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank heralded by Trump in January. 2025 December 11, Charlie Campbell, Andrew R. Chow and Billy Perrigo, “The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year”, in Time:
3. (figuratively) Devoid of value.
   • Such occupations might have seemed arid to those who did not possess the intellect to appreciate their subtleties. 1956, Arthur C. Clarke, The City and the Stars, page 37:
   • The millionaire viewed his gift as arid.

Forms

Antonyms

moist · valuable · costly · rainforest · damp · drenched · wet · humid · precious

Deriveds

aridland · aridly · aridness · aridisol · Aridzona · subarid · aridic · aridify · nonarid · Aridoamerica · hyperarid · aridification

Relateds

aridity

Synonyms

xeric

Translations (56)

ga tur (very dry) · fr aride (very dry) · nl droog (very dry) · ru засу́шливый (very dry) · la āridus (very dry) · grc κάγκανος (very dry) · pt árido (very dry) · eo arida (very dry) · ota قوراق (very dry) · ur خشک (very dry) · cy crin (very dry) · la inaquōsus (very dry) · es árido (very dry) · sc àrridu (very dry) · bg безводен (very dry) · cy cras (very dry) · tr kurak (very dry) · uk сухи́й (very dry) · id gersang (very dry) · sc àridu (very dry) · ru безво́дный (very dry) · ar قَاحِل (very dry) · sc assuttu (very dry) · sdc séccu (very dry) · fa خشک (very dry) · ug қурғақ (very dry) · fa کم باران (very dry) · uk безво́дний (very dry) · ru сухо́й (very dry) · sdc aramiddu (very dry) · sdn àrritu (very dry) · bn শুষ্ক (very dry) · ota چوراق (very dry) · tr çorak (very dry) · ca àrid (very dry) · de arid (very dry) · nv hóółtseii (very dry) · it arido (very dry) · grc ἄνυδρος (very dry) · uk посу́шливий (very dry) · hu kiszáradt (very dry) · bg сух (very dry) · he צָחִיחַ (very dry) · cs suchý (very dry) · ml വരണ്ട (very dry) · az susuz (very dry) · gl árido (very dry) · az quraq (very dry) · id tandus (very dry) · fa بایر (very dry) · pdt drieech (very dry) · fi kuiva (very dry) · id arid (very dry) · ml ശുഷ്ക (very dry) · cs vyprahlý (very dry) · sc àrridu (very dry)