semiarid

adjective

semi·​ar·​id ˌse-mē-ˈer-əd How to pronounce semiarid (audio)
-ˈa-rəd,
ˌse-ˌmī-,
-mi-
: characterized by light rainfall
especially : having from about 10 to 20 inches (25 to 51 centimeters) of annual precipitation
semiaridity
ˌse-mē-ə-ˈri-də-tē How to pronounce semiarid (audio)
-er-ˈi-
-ˌa-ri-
ˌse-ˌmī-
-mi-
noun

Examples of semiarid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the Sahel, the semiarid region bordering the Sahara that runs across the African continent, tens of thousands of teenagers have joined militant groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State. Declan Walsh, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023 In 2021 Ricke modeled aerosol injections over the Indian Ocean meant to increase rainfall and reverse a long-standing drought in the semiarid Sahel region of North Africa. Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2023 Not so in Africa, especially in the Sahel, the vast, semiarid region south of the Sahara where groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are gaining ground at an alarming pace. Elian Peltier, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2023 Since 2020, there have been coups throughout the Sahel, the strategically important belt of hot, semiarid land stretching across Africa just below the Sahara desert. Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2023 While Mali and Burkina Faso slipped into Moscow’s orbit under their juntas, Niger remained something of a pro-Western redoubt in the Sahel, the semiarid African region below the Sahara Desert that is increasingly shaped by state failure and metastasizing insurgencies. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2023 For the United States and its allies, the coup raised urgent questions about the fight against Islamist militants in the Sahel, the vast semiarid region where groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are gaining ground at an alarming pace, moving from the desert toward the sea. Declan Walsh, New York Times, 29 July 2023 Its eastern region, semiarid and isolated, already has more than 400,000 refugees from Darfur living in 13 camps, which are now filling with new arrivals helped by the U.N. refugee agency. Elian Peltier Yagazie Emezi, New York Times, 16 May 2023 Meanwhile, climate change has made farming in the semiarid country even more unpredictable, and some 3 million people are expected to face hunger in the next six months, according to the nonprofit Save the Children. Nick Roll, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of semiarid was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near semiarid

Cite this Entry

“Semiarid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiarid. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

semiarid

adjective
semi·​ar·​id ˌsem-ē-ˈar-əd How to pronounce semiarid (audio)
ˌsem-ˌī-
: marked by light rainfall
especially : having from about 10 to 20 inches (25 to 51 centimeters) of annual precipitation

More from Merriam-Webster on semiarid

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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