Definition of rancid
1 : having an unpleasant smell or taste usually from chemical change or decomposition rancid butter rancid breath
2 : distinctly unpleasant or distasteful : offensive a rancid sexual scandal Without free speech, even in its most rancid forms, we may have nothing to choose at night but old movies and “Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!” — Richard Corliss
From the M-W Editors
rancid was our Word of the Day on 04/09/2014. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of rancid in a Sentence
Some foods become rancid quickly.
an unscrupulous food vendor who's as rancid as the meat that he serves
Recent Examples of rancid from the Web
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The second shop is filthy, with piles of rancid bologna on the floor, pepperoncini in the toilet, and Swiss cheese jammed into broken light fixtures.
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But the complaints weren’t due to an actual infestation or rancid food at the Sarasota, Fla., business.
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Once a feared power broker, Cersei hasn’t had much go her way since her rancid son King Joffrey was killed early in Season 4.
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This was the first whiff of another rancid January — that annual ritual of studio dumps and subpar multiplex stopovers on the way to DVD.
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But every building's vestibule, hallways, and stairs were filthy and rancid.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rancid'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Rancid has a fairly straightforward history; it derives from Latin rancidus, itself from the Latin verb rancēre, meaning "to be rancid" or "to stink." In addition to the related words rancidness and rancidity, another descendant of rancēre in English is rancor, meaning "bitter deep-seated ill will." (Rancor passed through Middle French rather than being borrowed into English directly.) These days, rancid also has developed a second, extended sense which is used in the context of offenses to less literal or physical senses than those of smell or taste, and you might see references to "rancid behavior" or "a rancid personality."
Origin and Etymology of rancid
Latin rancidus, from rancēre to be rancid
RANCID Defined for English Language Learners
rancid
playDefinition of rancid for English Language Learners
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of food : having a strong and unpleasant smell or taste from no longer being fresh
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: full of anger and bitterness
RANCID Defined for Kids
rancid
playDefinition of rancid for Students
: having a strong disagreeable smell or taste from no longer being fresh rancid butter
Medical Dictionary
rancid
playMedical Definition of rancid
: having a rank smell or taste usually from chemical change or decomposition rancid butter
Learn More about rancid
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rancid Spanish Central: Translation of rancid Nglish: Translation of rancid for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rancid for Arabic speakers
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