as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
an unscrupulous food vendor who's as rancid as the meat that he serves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 rancid
The Game 4 defeat – the no-silver-lining, embarrassing 6-1 loss – left a particularly rancid taste in everyone’s mouth.
—
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
When Hegseth tries to don the armor of a warrior priest, the result is a rancid mess that should offend believers and nonbelievers alike.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2026
As is so often the case, there was a backlash against all the pre-release hype; the free publicity generated by Preminger’s talent search had turned rancid by the time the film finally arrived.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2026
Charles has visited every continent on Earth, drinking rancid yak butter tea in Lhasa, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos and even climbing an iceberg in Antarctica.
—Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rancid
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
When Hegseth tries to don the armor of a warrior priest, the result is a rancid mess that should offend believers and nonbelievers alike.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2026
As is so often the case, there was a backlash against all the pre-release hype; the free publicity generated by Preminger’s talent search had turned rancid by the time the film finally arrived.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2026
Charles has visited every continent on Earth, drinking rancid yak butter tea in Lhasa, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos and even climbing an iceberg in Antarctica.
—Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rancid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rancid
Adjective
-
The president announced the work in April during an unrelated Oval Office appearance, saying he was inspired by complaints from a friend visiting from Germany who called the pool dark and disgusting.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Seeing a game get shipped off to a foreign land for no good reason is even more disgusting.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Lemieux was 37, and had a reputation as one of those players who knew where to be, and when, around the ugly areas on the ice in a playoff game.—
Mac Engel
May 29,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2026
-
We, viewers and voters, are subjected to very ugly photographs and rhetoric.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
The concept of this many women vying for West is somewhat sickening to me.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
27 May 2026
-
So united and powerful were these Indigenous people that some of their enemies started to get desperate, that whiff of anxiety taking on a sickening stench.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
That’s an awful lot of people living with life-changing consequences.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
3 June 2026
-
But for a restaurant that serves plenty of dishes seemingly designed for white tablecloths, there’s still an awful lot of eating done with your hands.—
Colin Wrenn,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Savages’ social standing has dwindled to the point that only their equally horrible, grasping neighbors, the Bennetts (Richard McCabe and Vicki Pepperdine, both very funny), will fraternize with them.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
4 June 2026
-
Without an ecosystem of competitive bids like Kalshi's, the customer usually walks away with a horrible deal.—
Ananya Chetia,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Supposedly the poem was inspired by a peyote-vision where the edifice of San Francisco’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel was transformed into a hideous, twisted, demonic visage, which inspired the beating heart of Howl’s second section.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
-
This used to be a death knell—the shoes that fit the bill were hideous until a few years ago.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
It was seized by the post office (as Rosset had expected) and duly declared obscene by the postmaster of the city of New York, a man named Robert Christenberry.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Who says a man can’t appreciate the gleaming, obscene form of an Aston Martin supercar or the growl of its overpriced engine?—
Alex James Kane,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps folks view Laesch’s behavior as obnoxious or counterproductive or simply not in his lane.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
-
The Golden Knights are obnoxious.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rancid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rancid. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
