arid

comparative arider · comparative more arid · superlative aridest · superlative most arid

1. Very dry.

   The cake was arid.

   Antonyms: wet, drenched, damp, moist

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.

   2 more examples

   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

   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

   Synonyms: xeric · Antonyms: rainforest, humid

3. figurativelyDevoid of value.

   The millionaire viewed his gift as arid.

   1 more example

   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

   Antonyms: valuable, costly, precious