arid

adjective

ˈa-rəd How to pronounce arid (audio)
Definition of aridnext
1
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest an arid speech about duty and responsibility

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dry
marked by little or no precipitation or humidity arid wastelands unfit for human habitation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of arid Saudi Arabia’s largely arid landscape is dotted by about a million prehistoric stone structures, but Al-Rajajil remains the most famous. — Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026 Suzana Aguiar is a fifth-generation cotton grower from a semi-arid region of Brazil. — Bart Vollaard, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026 One of the most famously arid national landmarks succumbed to deadly flash flooding over the weekend, leaving at least one person dead and more than a dozen unaccounted for as more rain could lash Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona on Monday. — Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 But, because the vast majority of our planet is covered in water and non-arid land, they are rarely observed by human eyes. — Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for arid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arid
  1. boring
  2. dry
  3. tiring
  4. thirsty
  5. dusty
  6. desert
  7. slow
  8. waterless
Adjective
  • Let’s start with tracking Savu, where, because of the tiny tribes, the most obvious and boring thing ends up happening.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Smith is betting that in a market where every phone looks the same, the bigger risk is being boring.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of boring
Adjective
  • The fences that separate the dry fields and the doors that allow you through them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Eventually, with the flight nearing its end, Page finds that nice, flat, dry, grassy field — with no power lines.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of dry
Adjective
  • Tommy Gemmell, advanced from left-back, provided the equaliser on 63 minutes and with Inter tiring and Celtic still pushing, Chalmers scored the famous winner with six minutes left.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But after a while, the lack of grounding gets tiring, as various supernatural shenanigans appear to be determined more by plot convenience than anything else.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tiring
Adjective
  • But exactly who on this roster can replace him if an O-line-thirsty franchise [Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers] makes an offer the Dolphins can’t refuse?
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
  • These problems will likely only get worse over the next few decades, with thirsty parts of the state increasingly wanting to supply their regions with water from areas with more supply.
    — Lexi Salazar, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of thirsty
Adjective
  • The state was apportioned a bare 300,000 acre-feet a year in 1928, when Las Vegas was merely a dusty outpost miles from the Hoover Dam construction site.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • On July 2, 2025, a burst with energy equivalent to 1,000 suns blazing for 10 billion years lit up Fermi’s detectors, heading from a dusty galaxy about eight billion light-years from Earth.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of dusty
Adjective
  • The damage was clearest in wealthier, non-desert regions due to rapid land conversion.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The terrain is mountainous, a mix of desert and semi-desert plains.
    — Ope Adetayo, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2026
Definition of desert
Adjective
  • The song develops into a slow-burn, lighters-up jam, its long, unhurried coda like getting lost in a sea of echoing, overlapping memories.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Protein and fiber slow digestion, supporting satiety and healthy blood sugar regulation.
    — Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of slow
Adjective
  • While urban areas like Los Angeles are under mandatory drought restrictions to reduce strain on state reservoirs, many rural residents reliant on groundwater wells are waterless.
    — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 27 Nov. 2022
  • Other eco-friendly measures include a solid waste incinerator to turn waste into non-toxic ash and a waterless urinal to reduce unnecessary usage.
    — Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2022
Definition of waterless

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Cite this Entry

“Arid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arid. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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