rancid

adjective

ˈran(t)-səd How to pronounce rancid (audio)
Definition of rancidnext
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 Cooking Oils Natural fats, like cooking oils, eventually turn rancid. — Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 26 July 2026 That, Tracy said, is the biggest difference between the rampaging Red Sox of July and the rancid Red Sox of the early season. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 20 July 2026 With such a shaky sense of purpose, is John Sugar prepared to wade through to the other side of these rancid waters? — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 17 July 2026 Several detainees have reportedly been on a hunger strike to protest the inhumane conditions in these deplorable warehouse camps, with overcrowding, physical and psychological abuse, rancid food, scant medical care and many deaths. — Nancy Rudner, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for rancid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rancid
  1. disgusting
  2. ugly
  3. sickening
  4. awful
  5. horrible
  6. hideous
  7. obscene
  8. obnoxious
Adjective
  • People tend to think of waste as trash, sewage, slag, manure and other seemingly useless or disgusting substances.
    — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The better to act out empire’s idea of what disgusting demonic sickness looks like.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • Without all that, the series misses out on the ugly, earthy, sensual details that could have complicated her past blank innocence.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier this season, the Seahawks coach described a dispute with Payton that got ugly enough for Seattle to threaten a lawsuit.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • Beyond the ugly-duckling implications and the patent objectification and humiliation of women, the show’s portrayal of plastic surgery itself struck me as dark and sort of sickening.
    — Jolene Edgar, Allure, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the most sickening part of the entire encounter is that both Oleynik and Kravchenko are seen holding the turtle's hatchlings, posing for photos and smiling as if everything is cool.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of sickening
Adjective
  • He was held back by something else, a feeling that some awful truth about his familiar, beloved world was now being revealed to him.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • His death was already sudden and awful, and the call was jarring and unexpected.
    — Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • Hill is a free agent after a horrible injury suffered last season.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Ashley Flynn’s sister, Kayla Keyt, said during her victim statement that her family could not overcome their sense of shock and despair after learning that Flynn betrayed them in such a violent and horrible way.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • Alabama has been busily demonstrating that the reverse is true, following a string of hideous botched lethal injection executions with a series of no less gruesome executions with nitrogen suffocation.
    — Maya Foa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • This puzzle is stuffed with nuance, pleasing crosses and a lot of simply terrific, ridiculously evocative stuff — for example, a jarring assortment of lovely trivia intersecting with some hideous ailments at more than one juncture.
    — Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of hideous
Adjective
  • The public must contend head-on with a collapsing currency and runaway inflation, and to ordinary Iranians, describing the present situation as sustainable would sound almost obscene.
    — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Current Florida law says a school district can review and remove a book after a complaint has been made that a book is pornographic, obscene or isn’t age appropriate.
    — Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of obscene
Adjective
  • Carla is suffering through a press junket for a new spy movie titled The Milliner with her obnoxious co-star, Jeremy (Aaron Tsindos).
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But others have slammed the effort as a pretentious and obnoxious slog.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of obnoxious

Browse Nearby Words

ranchmen
rancid
rancidities
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Rancid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rancid. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Luddite

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All