What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

What is the difference between arid and drought?

arid | drought |

As a adjective arid

is very dry.

As a noun drought is

a period of below average rainfall, longer and more severe than a dry spell.

arid

English

Adjective

(en-adj) (wikipedia arid)
  • Very dry.
  • Describing a very dry climate. Typically defined as less than 25 cm or 10 inches of rainfall annually.
  • Devoid of value.

    • Quotations

    * 1956 — , The City and the Stars , p 37 *: Such occupations might have seemed arid to those who did not possess the intellect to appreciate their subtleties.

    See also

    * semiarid

    Anagrams

    * * * ----

    drought

    English

    Alternative forms

    * drouth

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A period of below average rainfall, longer and more severe than a dry spell.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
    • , author=Donald Worster , title=A Drier and Hotter Future , volume=100, issue=1, page=70 , magazine= citation , passage=Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought , and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.}}
  • (by extension, informal) A longer than expected term without success, particularly in sport.