MEANING
1. Affected by rabies.
2. Fanatically or aggressively devoted to an attitude or cause.
Use it for
An animal potentially carrying lethal infection; bites with medical consequences; extreme hostilityGive a biological danger its correct name only when the evidence supports it.
Words that belong together
- rabid animal
- suspected rabid dog
- rabid hostility
On the page
The dog was confirmed rabid after testing.
She backed away from the animal, afraid it might be rabid.
The accusation provoked a rabid campaign against the witnesses.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- rabid
Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Literal rabies is an infectious disease, not a synonym for any violent behavior. Figurative use can be insulting; context should distinguish diagnosis from accusation. Adjective. Literal rabies status is normally non-gradable. Figurative zeal or hostility: more rabid, most rabid. Related family: rabidly (adverb); rabies (disease noun).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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