arid.

1. extremely dry, especially because of little rainfall

2. Lacking interest, imaginative life, or richness.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• arid landscape
• arid climate
• arid plain

On the page

The caravan crossed an arid plain.

Only scattered shrubs survived in the arid basin.

The lecture's arid catalogue of dates left the audience unmoved.

Usage notes

Primary curation section: Environment. More specifically climatic or environmental than merely dry. Figuratively, lacking interest, life, or creative richness. Comparative: more arid; superlative: most arid. Related noun: aridity.