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parched

parched

13 4.7
Having very little water because of heat
  • adjective
  • /pɑrtʃt/
translation icon : reseco
  • The plants struggled to survive in the parched soil after weeks without rain.
  • parched desert
  • parched landscape
  • parched and dry

You've lost interest, you're dying of thirst, you're as parched as you could possibly be.

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Examples

  • Gamay sat down, took a sip, and let the cool, sweet liquid flow down her parched throat.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I escaped into the desert where the cowboys found me, wandering parched and thirsty across the barren waste.

  • In this image, water is delivered to a parched community.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Sometimes I see a parched road stretching ahead of me, forever.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • My throat is as parched as the porch out there.

  • The land looked parched, poor, yet it had been under cultivation for thousands of years.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • These plants cling to life in a parched, nutrient-poor landscape.

  • The media highlights the parched lands, dry riverbeds, springs, and falling groundwater tables across the world daily.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Though the stricken woman had not prayed in more than thirty years, her parched lips moved silently.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • You've lost interest, you're dying of thirst, you're as parched as you could possibly be.

Synonyms

arid
vsparched
19 4.0

Very dry land or weather with little rain that cannot grow plants

is dry because of extended sun exposure rather than broad climate lack
dried-up
vsparched
18 3.5

No longer holds water and is very dry, like a riverbed or plant

is dry because of prolonged sun exposure rather than simple aging
dried-out
vsparched
8 2.8

Completely dry because it has no water left

is dry due to extended sun and heat rather than general loss
thirsty
vsparched
7 1.3

Land or plants that need water because they are dry

is very dry as a result of long heat and sun exposure
waterless
vsparched
3 3.4

A place with no water that is very dry like a desert

is dry due to prolonged sun and heat rather than general absence
scorched
vsparched
1 4.6

Burned and dried by strong heat such as fire or hot sun

is dry from prolonged sun exposure rather than being burned
dehydrated
vsparched
1 3.6

Food with most water removed so it lasts longer

is dry from natural sun and heat exposure rather than preservation
sunbaked
vsparched
1 4.8

Dried and hard from strong sunlight

is dry because of long exposure to sun and heat
dried
vsparched
1 1.0

Something that is no longer wet because its water has gone away

is dry specifically from long heat and sun rather than any cause
baked
vsparched
1.0

Dried by strong sun or heat until hard and cracked

is specifically dry due to long sun and heat exposure
adust
vsparched
  • Archaic
9.9

Dried and darkened by strong sun

is dry mainly from long sun exposure rather than just darkening
unwatered
vsparched
4.3

Not given water and so dry

is dry from long sun exposure rather than only lack of watering
desiccated
vsparched
  • Specialized
7.2

Completely dried so it has no water left

is dry from long sun exposure rather than deliberate complete drying

Antonyms

105 1.0

Slightly wet in a pleasant or suitable way

hydrated
  • Specialized
4.4

Containing water inside its solid crystals, as some salts and minerals

How Dry

desiccated
  • Specialized
7.2
bone-dry
1 3.4
parched
13 4.7
dry
791 1.0
damp
11 1.0
wet
1 1.0

Surface Forms

parched positive

Morphology

parched = parch (transparent) = parch + ed

Derived directly from the verb 'parch' with the adjectival/past-participial suffix '-ed', so the meaning 'dried out by heat' is straightforward.

Etymology

Parched comes from the simple verb parch, which means 'to dry by heat'. So when land or lips are parched, they are baked and very dry from strong sun or heat.