rancid

adjective

ran·cid | \ ˈran(t)-səd

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

Other Words from rancid Synonyms & Antonyms Did you know? More Example Sentences Learn More About rancid

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."

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 on the Web Old oil is often full of particulate matter, which lends the chicken a darker color and, worse, a rancid flavor. — Kate Williams, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2022 Once its about 40 pounds, the corm has enough energy to bloom and put off its powerful rancid smell. — Joe Mario Pedersen, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2022 It’s that mixture of brine, fish, digestion, rancid oil, and Death — an aggressive smell that will clothe me for weeks after. — Peter Wayne Moe, Longreads, 25 Feb. 2022 If that's grade-A beef, call this one a rancid veggie burger. — Joshua Rothkopf, EW.com, 19 Feb. 2022 They were pummeled with rocks, bricks, bottles of urine and bottles of rancid milk. — Mirna Alsharif And Chris Hippensteel, CNN, 3 Feb. 2022 Maybe animals that have been documented as disliking the taste—horses, vampire bats, rabbits, and axolotls, to name a few—take it as a hint that their food is still unripe, or has gone rancid and is therefore unsafe. — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2022 Even Rogan, who normally listens to his guests spew rancid misinformation with barely a blink, seemed confused, and somewhat irritated. — Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022 Our red meat, though, is far different from the rancid version served up by the GOP. — Dean Obeidallah, The New Republic, 13 Jan. 2022 See More

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.