Meanings
plural acid rains
- countableuncountableRain which is unusually acidic (pH of less than the natural range of 5 to 6); caused mainly by atmospheric pollution with sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen compounds.
Acid rain forms when water in the atmosphere condenses on particles containing acid-forming pollutants, such as sulfate produced by the burning of fossil fuels and nitrogen oxides from automobile exhausts.
1987 January 20, “Airborne Pollutants”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
Synonyms & antonyms
nounrain containing acids that form in the atmosphere when industrial gas emissions (especially sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) combine with water
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Coined in 1872 by Scottish chemist Robert Angus Smith.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مَطَر حَمْضِيّ
- مَطَر حَمْضِيّ (maṭar ḥamḍiyy)unusually acidic rain
Bulgarian киселинен дъжд
- киселинен дъжд (kiselinen dăžd)unusually acidic rain
Catalan pluja àcida
- pluja àcidaunusually acidic rain
Chinese Mandarin 酸雨, 酸性雨
- 酸雨 (suānyǔ)unusually acidic rain
- 酸性雨 (suānxìngyǔ)unusually acidic rain
Czech kyselý déšť
- kyselý déšťunusually acidic rain
Danish syreregn
- syreregnunusually acidic rain
Dutch zure regen
- zure regenunusually acidic rain
Esperanto acida pluvo
- acida pluvounusually acidic rain
Estonian happesademed
- happesademedunusually acidic rain
Finnish happosade
- happosadeunusually acidic rain
French pluie acide
- pluie acideunusually acidic rain
German saurer Regen
- saurer Regenunusually acidic rain
Greek όξινη βροχή
- όξινη βροχή (óxini vrochí)unusually acidic rain
Hebrew גשם חומצי
- גשם חומציunusually acidic rain
Hindi अम्लीय वर्षा
- अम्लीय वर्षा (amlīya varṣā)unusually acidic rain
Hungarian savas eső
- savas esőunusually acidic rain
Icelandic súrt regn
- súrt regnunusually acidic rain
Indonesian hujan asam
- hujan asamunusually acidic rain
Irish báisteach aigéadach
- báisteach aigéadachunusually acidic rain
Italian pioggia acida
- pioggia acidaunusually acidic rain
Japanese 酸性雨
- 酸性雨 (sanseiu)unusually acidic rain
Korean 산성비
- 산성비 (sanseongbi)unusually acidic rain
Latvian skābais lietus
- skābais lietusunusually acidic rain
Lithuanian rūgštusis lietus
- rūgštusis lietusunusually acidic rain
Malay hujan asid
- hujan asidunusually acidic rain
Māori ua kawa
- ua kawaunusually acidic rain
Norwegian sur nedbør
- sur nedbørunusually acidic rain
Persian باران اسیدی
- باران اسیدی (bârân-e asidi)unusually acidic rain
Polish kwaśny deszcz
- kwaśny deszczunusually acidic rain
Portuguese chuva ácida
- chuva ácidaunusually acidic rain
Romanian ploaie acidă
- ploaie acidăunusually acidic rain
Russian кисло́тный дождь
- кисло́тный дождь (kislótnyj doždʹ)unusually acidic rain
Scottish Gaelic uisge-searbhaig
- uisge-searbhaigunusually acidic rain
Slovak kyslý dážď
- kyslý dážďunusually acidic rain
Spanish lluvia ácida
- lluvia ácidaunusually acidic rain
Swedish surt regn
- surt regnunusually acidic rain
Thai ฝนกรด
- ฝนกรด (fŏn gròt)unusually acidic rain
Turkish asit yağmuru
- asit yağmuruunusually acidic rain
Ukrainian кисло́тний дощ
- кисло́тний дощ (kyslótnyj došč)unusually acidic rain
Vietnamese mưa axit
- mưa axitunusually acidic rain
Cite this entry
acid rain. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acid%20rain
“acid rain.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acid%20rain. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “acid rain,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acid%20rain.
Source: acid rain on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.