adjective
Uncommon
arid
A-rihd
Arid (adjective) means Very dry, especially describing land or climate with little rainfall. Example: “The expedition crossed hundreds of miles of arid desert.”
adjective
1
Very dry, especially describing land or climate with little rainfall.
"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."
— Charlie Campbell, The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year (2025)
"The expedition crossed hundreds of miles of arid desert."
"Southern Spain has an arid climate in summer."
"Deserts are known for being arid."
How to use arid
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishExtremely dry, usually describing a landscape or climate.
Common pairings
arid climate
arid desert
arid land
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Word forms
- Comparative
- arider, more arid
- Superlative
- aridest, most arid
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The expedition crossed hundreds of miles of _____ desert.
Etymology
From Latin aridus, "dry, parched," from arere, "to be dry."
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for arid
See all rhymes for arid →Frequently asked questions
What does “arid” mean?
The word “arid” means very dry, especially describing land or climate with little rainfall. In plain terms, extremely dry, usually describing a landscape or climate.
How do you pronounce “arid”?
“Arid” is pronounced A-rihd (/ˈæɹɪd/ in IPA).
How do you use “arid” in a sentence?
Here is “arid” used in a sentence: “The expedition crossed hundreds of miles of arid desert.”
What part of speech is “arid”?
“Arid” is an adjective.
Where does the word “arid” come from?
The word “arid” comes from Latin. From Latin aridus, "dry, parched," from arere, "to be dry.".
Is “arid” a common word?
“Arid” is an uncommon word in modern English.
