rancid

adjective

ran·​cid ˈran(t)-səd 

1

: having an unpleasant smell or taste usually from chemical change or decomposition

rancid butter

rancid breath

2

: distinctly unpleasant or distasteful : offensive

a rancid sexual scandal

Without free speech, even in its most rancid forms, we may have nothing to choose at night but old movies and "Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!"

—Richard Corliss

rancidity

ran-ˈsi-də-tē 

noun

rancidness

ˈran(t)-səd-nəs 

noun

Did you know?

Rancid and putrid and fetid—oh my! While all three words are used to describe unpleasant smells and tastes, each also traces its roots to a “stinky” Latin word: rancid can be traced back to the Latin rancēre; the root of putrid shares an ancestor with putēre; and fetid comes from foetēre—all verbs meaning “to stink.” Not long after entering the language in the early 17th century, rancid also developed a second, figurative sense which is used for non-gustatory and non-olfactory offenses, as in “rancid hypocrisy.”

Synonyms

• abhorrent
• abominable
• appalling
• awful
• disgusting
• distasteful
• dreadful
• evil
• foul
• fulsome
• gross
• hideous
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrid
• loathsome
• nasty
• nauseating
• nauseous
• noisome
• noxious
• obnoxious
• obscene
• odious
• offensive
• repellent
• repellant
• repugnant
• repulsive
• revolting
• scandalous
• shocking
• sickening
• ugly

Examples of rancid in a Sentence

Some foods become rancid quickly.

an unscrupulous food vendor who's as rancid as the meat that he serves

Recent Examples on the Web

Davis was hardly the first to succumb to the lure of the corpse flower (not to be confused with Amorphophallus titanum, which has a giant phallic protrusion and also happens to smell like rancid meat and bear the nickname corpse flower). —Hillary Rosner, Discover Magazine, 10 Dec. 2013

This research extends to the effects of pH and cooking temperature on meaty and species flavor, sweetness, barnyard, and rancid flavor in sheep-meat. —Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 3 Dec. 2010

However, excessive levels of lipolysis could lead to a rancid taste (McSweeney and Sousa 2000; Collins et al. 2003b). —Ashton Yoon, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2017

Fish supplements that contain omega-3s are prone to going rancid. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin rancidus, from rancēre to be rancid

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

rancid

adjective

ran·​cid ˈran(t)-səd 

: having a strong disagreeable smell or taste

rancid butter

rancidity

ran-ˈsid-ət-ē 

noun

Medical Definition

rancid

adjective

ran·​cid ˈran(t)-səd 

: having a rank smell or taste usually from chemical change or decomposition

rancid butter