humid

adjective

hu·​mid ˈhyü-məd How to pronounce humid (audio)
ˈyü-
: containing or characterized by perceptible moisture especially to the point of being oppressive
humidly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for humid

wet, damp, dank, moist, humid mean covered or more or less soaked with liquid.

wet usually implies saturation but may suggest a covering of a surface with water or something (such as paint) not yet dry.

slipped on the wet pavement

damp implies a slight or moderate absorption and often connotes an unpleasant degree of moisture.

clothes will mildew if stored in a damp place

dank implies a more distinctly disagreeable or unwholesome dampness.

a prisoner in a cold, dank cell

moist applies to what is slightly damp or not felt as dry.

treat the injury with moist heat

humid applies to the presence of much water vapor in the air.

a hot, humid climate

Examples of humid in a Sentence

the air was so humid that our beach towels hanging on the line never really got dry
Recent Examples on the Web The most recent season was especially difficult: The schedule itself was intensive, filming from June to September with little downtime in humid temperatures. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Gusty south and southwest winds have pumped humid air into the area as temperatures have risen through the 60s ahead of a cold front. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 Ancient Resistance Arabia’s scorching and humid climate usually does not preserve ancient remains, meaning this new study is the first time that researchers have been able to analyze the ancient DNA from this area of the world, according to a press release. Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024 Or perhaps the growing planets siphon water vapor directly from the gas in the primordial disk—allowing gravity to build a humid atmosphere around their rocky core. Shannon Hall, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024 Weather Chicago summers can be beautiful but humid while long winters can be windy, snowy and downright brutal. Meena Thiruvengadam, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2024 Keep reading for the forecast into next week … Tomorrow (Saturday): Light but steady breezes from the south bring warmer and borderline humid air back into the region. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024 And those, combined with a cold front moving over Wisconsin, created suitable conditions for a tornado ― warm, humid air colliding with cool air. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2024 Low pressure helps draw warm humid air that the counterclockwise system turns into rain, and Horley said the record readings correlated to serious flooding in places like coastal South Carolina, where more than 1 foot of rain was recorded. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'humid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French or Latin; French humide, from Latin humidus, from humēre

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of humid was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near humid

Cite this Entry

“Humid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humid. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

humid

adjective
hu·​mid ˈhyü-məd How to pronounce humid (audio)
ˈyü-
: damp entry 3, moist
a humid climate
humidly adverb

Medical Definition

humid

adjective
hu·​mid ˈhyü-məd How to pronounce humid (audio) ˈyü- How to pronounce humid (audio)
: containing or characterized by perceptible moisture especially to the point of being oppressive
a hot humid climate

More from Merriam-Webster on humid

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