rabid

adjective

ra·​bid ˈra-bəd 

also

ˈrā- 

1

a

: extremely violent : furious

b

: going to extreme lengths in expressing or pursuing a feeling, interest, or opinion

rabid editorials

a rabid supporter

2

: affected with rabies

rabidity

rə-ˈbi-də-tē 

ra-

rā-

noun

rabidly

ˈra-bəd-lē 

 also  ˈrā-

adverb

rabidness noun

Synonyms

• extreme
• extremist
• fanatic
• fanatical
• radical
• revolutionary
• revolutionist
• ultra

Examples of rabid in a Sentence

a politician with rabid supporters

Her husband is a rabid baseball fan.

Recent Examples on the Web

Combine that with the lush lakefront parks and rabid loyalty fans feel for the city’s sports teams, and Chicago’s appeal is undeniable. —Seth Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 16 Oct. 2024

The rude new businessman—acting a lot like the characters who strutted around the ring, garnering the rabid love of the crowd—upset a genteel arrangement and won big. —Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024

Back in the woods, the bloody lady is attacked by the rabid wolf-dog, while a car pulls up just down the road from the farm. —Nick Caruso, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2024

The rest were warnings about rabid dogs, warnings to specific people that their pharmacists had accidentally concocted potentially fatal prescriptions, warnings about pending air-raid siren tests, a caution about a flasher on a certain street corner, and one ship collision in the harbor. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin rabidus mad, from rabere

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

rabid

adjective

ra·​bid ˈrab-əd 

 also  ˈrā-bəd

1

: extremely violent : furious

2

: going to extreme lengths (as in interest or opinion)

rabid supporters

3

: affected with rabies

a rabid dog

rabidly adverb

Medical Definition

rabid

adjective

ra·​bid

ˈrab-əd also ˈrā-bəd

: affected with rabies

a rabid dog