arid

adjective

ar·​id ˈa-rəd How to pronounce arid (audio)
ˈer-əd
Synonyms of aridnext
1
: excessively dry
specifically : having insufficient rainfall to support agriculture
an arid region
2
: lacking in interest and life : jejune
arid textbooks
aridity
ə-ˈri-də-tē How to pronounce arid (audio)
a-
noun
aridness
ˈa-rəd-nəs How to pronounce arid (audio)
ˈer-əd-
noun

Synonyms

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Examples of arid in a Sentence

a dull and arid textbook an arid speech about duty and responsibility
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the arid landscape of Western Australia, a carnivorous marsupial once roamed. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025 The rugged terrain and semi-arid setting mean that carrying sufficient water in the outdoors is essential. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025 Despite flowing through one of the world's most arid regions, the Hotan feeds ribbons of vegetation sprouting around its banks. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2025 Outside of the Morgan collection, Amber Lewis’ Topanga collection has some of my personal favorites—things that inhabit the Jenni Kayne laidback and bleached-bone style of America’s more arid climates. —Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for arid

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Latin; French aride, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin āridus, ārdus "dry, waterless, withered, austere (of style)," derivative, with the adjective suffix -idus, of ārēre "to be dry, parched, withered," going back to Indo-European *h2eh1s-eh1-, stative derivative of a verbal base *h2eh1s- "make dry with heat," whence also Tocharian A asatär "(it) dries up," Tocharian B osotär; also from the same base a root noun *h2eh1s-, whence Hittite ḫāšš- "ashes, dust," from which as thematic derivatives Sanskrit ā́saḥ "ashes, dust," and (as a collective or noun of appurtenance?) *h2eh1s-eh2-, whence Latin āra "altar," Oscan aasaí (locative), Hittite ḫāššā- "hearth," Old High German essa, esse "forge" (from *asjō-), Old Swedish æsia, æssia "smith's fire," Old Icelandic esja "soapstone (used in hearths)" (both from *asjōn-)

Note: Regarding the apparent derivatives ardēre "to burn, emit light or flame" and ardor "burning, fierce heat," see ardent. — Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben gives the "essive" (= stative) form of the verbal base *h2eh1s as *h2h1s-h1i̯é- and attributes the length in Latin ārēre to the influence of noun derivatives such as āra. D. Adams, however, regards the original base in Tocharian A and B to have been *ās-, corresponding to the length in the Latin verb (see A Dictionary of Tocharian B, Revised and Greatly Enlarged, Rodopi, 2013, p. 63). A. Kloekhorst (Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Brill, 2008, pp. 322-23) regards the short vowel in Germanic as the residue of an oblique case form *h1h2s- of the root noun. See also ash entry 2, azalea.

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of arid was in 1652

Phrases Containing arid

Rhymes for arid

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Browse Nearby Words

aricuri
arid
arid cycle
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Cite this Entry

“Arid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arid. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

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Kids Definition

arid

adjective
ar·​id ˈar-əd How to pronounce arid (audio)
: very dry
especially : not having enough rainfall to support agriculture
aridity
ə-ˈrid-ət-ē How to pronounce arid (audio)
a-
noun

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