arid - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eHs-eh₁yeti

Proto-Italic *āzēō

English arid

From French aride or directly from Latin āridus (“dry, arid, parched”),[1] 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”).

arid (comparative arider or more arid, superlative aridest or most arid)

  1. Very dry.
    Antonyms: wet, drenched, damp, moist
    The cake was arid.
  2. Describing a very dry climate. Typically defined as less than 25 cm or 10 inches of rainfall annually.
    Synonym: xeric
    Antonyms: rainforest, humid
    Hyponyms: semi-arid, semiarid
    Deserts are known for being arid.
    • 2012, Chinle Miller, In Mesozoic Lands: The Mesozoic Geology of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Kindle edition:
      And because this part of Utah is arid, the geologic landscape is fully revealed with very little vegetation to hide it, faults and all.
    • 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[1]:
      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.
  3. (figurative) Devoid of value.
    Antonyms: valuable, costly, precious
    The millionaire viewed his gift as arid.
    • 1956, Arthur C. Clarke, The City and the Stars, page 37:
      Such occupations might have seemed arid to those who did not possess the intellect to appreciate their subtleties.

very dry

  1. ^ “arid”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

arid (strong nominative masculine singular arider, comparative arider, superlative am aridesten)

  1. arid

Comparative forms of arid

Superlative forms of arid

From English arid, from either French aride or directly from Latin āridus (“dry, arid, parched”).

arid (comparative lebih arid, superlative paling arid)

  1. (geography) arid

Borrowed from French aride, from Latin aridus.

arid m or n (feminine singular aridă, masculine plural arizi, feminine/neuter plural aride)

  1. barren