Rancid: Definition & Meaning for the SAT
⚡️ RANCID most nearly means: (A) fresh; (B) spoiled; (C) expensive; (D) frozen. 👉 Answer + examples, pronunciation, and full SAT explanation inside.
TL;DR: Rancid means having an unpleasant smell or taste from being old and spoiled (especially oils and fats). You know when cooking oil gets really old, like a few years old, and it smells weird and tastes bad? That's rancid.
ℹ️ Part of Speech of Rancid
rancid is an ADJECTIVE.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Rancid
rancid is pronounced /ˈræn.sɪd/ or RAN-sid.
📚️ Definition of Rancid
(Used for foods containing oil or fat) Smelling or tasting unpleasant as a result of being old and stale; having gone bad. Example: rancid oil that was six years past the expiration date.
📰 Examples of Rancid
Here are some examples of the word rancid:
The butter had gone rancid after being left out in the summer heat for a week.
I'm going to stop buying $30 olive oil. When I go to use it, more often than not, I discover it's rancid.
The restaurant was shut down after health inspectors discovered rancid cooking oil being used in the deep fryer.
✅ Quiz answer
Answer to the question above:
B, spoiled. Explanations: A is the opposite—fresh means new and good quality, not old and bad. (Test prep tip: If you see two answer choices that are antonyms, there's a good chance that one of them is the credited response.) C doesn't work; expensive refers to cost, not condition. D is incorrect; frozen means very cold or turned to ice, which technically has nothing to do with being spoiled.