arid
adjUK /ˈæɹɪd/ · US /ˈæɹɪd/
Etymology 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”).
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.
- Deserts are known for being arid.
- 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:
1 more example
- 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.
- The millionaire viewed his gift as arid.
- 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: