rancid

ran·cid
R1A1N1C3I1D2
/ˈɹænsɪd//ˈɹeə̯nsɪd//ˈɹɛə̯nsɪd/

adjective

Rank in taste or smell.

“Her remarks were rancid; everyone got up and left.”

Similar
stalesourmalodorousmalodourousunpleasant-smelling
OriginLatin rancidu ← Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

adjectiverancid (comparative more rancid, superlative most rancid)

comparative more rancid · superlative most rancid

  1. Rank in taste or smell.

    The house was deserted, with a rancid half-eaten meal still on the dinner table.

  2. Offensive. Unpleasant.

    Her remarks were rancid; everyone got up and left.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjective(used of decomposing oils or fats) having a rank smell or taste usually due to a chemical change or decomposition

Similar
stale

adjectivesmelling of fermentation or staleness

Similar
sourmalodorousmalodourousunpleasant-smelling
Also see
badbumfermentedgooeygrimlousyobscenescabroussourunpleasant

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinranceō
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  3. Latinrancidu
  4. Englishrancid

Learned borrowing from Latin rancidus (“stinking, rank, rancid, offensive”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic زَنِخ
  • زَنِخ (zaniḵ)being rank in taste or smell
Bulgarian гранясал
  • гранясал (granjasal)being rank in taste or smell
Catalan ranci
  • rancibeing rank in taste or smell
Chinese Mandarin 馊
  • 馊 (sōu)being rank in taste or smell
Czech žluklý, ztuchlý
  • žluklýbeing rank in taste or smell
  • ztuchlýbeing rank in taste or smell
  • smradlavýbeing rank in taste or smell
Danish harsk
  • harskbeing rank in taste or smell
Esperanto ranca
  • rancabeing rank in taste or smell
Finnish eltaantunut, härskiintynyt
  • eltaantunutbeing rank in taste or smell
  • härskiintynytbeing rank in taste or smell
  • härskibeing rank in taste or smell
French rance
  • rancebeing rank in taste or smell
German ranzig, garstig
  • ranzigbeing rank in taste or smell
  • garstigbeing rank in taste or smell
Greek χαλασμένος, ταγκός
  • χαλασμένος (chalasménos)being rank in taste or smell
  • ταγκός (tagkós)being rank in taste or smell
  • ξινισμένος (xinisménos)being rank in taste or smell
Hungarian avas
  • avasbeing rank in taste or smell
Icelandic þrár, þræsinn
  • þrárbeing rank in taste or smell
  • þræsinnbeing rank in taste or smell
Italian rancido
  • rancidobeing rank in taste or smell
Latin rancidus
  • rancidusbeing rank in taste or smell
Malay basi
  • basibeing rank in taste or smell
Māori kūtaitai
  • kūtaitaibeing rank in taste or smell
Norwegian Bokmål harsk
  • harskbeing rank in taste or smell
Polish zjełczały
  • zjełczałybeing rank in taste or smell
Portuguese râncido, ranço
  • râncidobeing rank in taste or smell
  • rançobeing rank in taste or smell
  • rançosobeing rank in taste or smell
Romanian rânced
  • râncedbeing rank in taste or smell
Russian проту́хший, прого́рклый
  • проту́хший (protúxšij)being rank in taste or smell
  • прого́рклый (progórklyj)being rank in taste or smell
Spanish rancio
  • ranciobeing rank in taste or smell
Swedish härsken
  • härskenbeing rank in taste or smell
Tagalog maanta
  • maantabeing rank in taste or smell
Ukrainian згі́рклий, проту́хлий
  • згі́рклий (zhírklyj)being rank in taste or smell
  • проту́хлий (protúxlyj)being rank in taste or smell

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cardindracincarniddarcin
Cite this entry
APA

rancid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rancid

MLA

“rancid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rancid. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rancid,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rancid.

Source: rancid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.