rabid

English

Etymology

From the Latin rabidus, from rabiō (“to rave”).

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɹæbɪd/, /ˈɹeɪbɪd/
  • Audio (Southern England); /ˈɹæbɪd/:(file)
  • Audio (Southern England); /ˈɹeɪbɪd/:(file)
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɹæbɪd/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -æbɪd

Adjective

rabid (comparative rabider, superlative rabidest)

  1. Affected with rabies.
    a rabid dog or fox
  2. Of or pertaining to rabies, or hydrophobia.
    a rabid virus
  3. (by extension) Furious; raging; extremely violent.
    • 1934, Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 1934-09: Volume 49, Issue 3‎[1], Modern Language Association of America, pages 710-711:
      It seems a very likely agreement that the Maestre’s activity against Cabra, at and after Ciudad Real, should be balanced by the service of Aguilar’s brutal underlings in the Rebellion at Fuente Ovejuna." In any event, there were “algunos caballeros (sic) cordobeses a devocién de . . . Rodrigo Girén,” who in 1473 had already proved themselves only too eager for the most rabid violence.
    • 1967, Lewis Mumford, The Myth of the Machine‎[2], Harcourt, Brace & World, →ISBN, page 184:
      Brutal compulsion was the necessary accompaniment of the large-scale organization and the extensive order introduced by kingship. Herodotus’ history is full of revolting descriptions of the rabid violence of kings, such as the tale he told of Cambyses.
    • 1984, Richard Setlowe, The Haunting of Suzanna Blackwell: A Novel‎[3], Holt, Rinehart and Winston, page 272:
      Their rage appeared to dissipate into bewilderment as they sensed for the first time exactly where they were. They peered about, and rather than drawing their rabid strength from the memorials surrounding them, they were confused. In their disfigured faces, Suzanna sensed the stunning realization that they too were now among the honored dead. It came to them as an epiphany.
    • 1889, Guizot's History of France‎[4], archived from the original on 25 June 2020, pages 95-96:
      This letter never reached its destination; the watchmaker, Mare Biron, who had offered to convey it to England, was arrested whilst attempting to pass the royal lines, and was immediately hanged. La Rochelle, however, still held out. “Their rabid fury,” says the cardinal, ‘‘gave them new strength, or rather the avenging wrath of God caused them to be supplied therewith in extraordinary measure by his evil spirit in order to prolong their woes; they were already almost at the end thereof and misery found upon them no more substance whereon it could feed and support itself; they were skeletons, empty shadows, breathing corpses rather than living men.”
    • 1990, Betina Krahn, Luck Be a Lady‎[5], Zebra Books, Kensington Publishing Corporation, page 417:
      He met her struggles with rabid force, shaking her and growling.
  4. (figurative) Very extreme, unreasonable, or fanatical in opinion; excessively zealous.
    a rabid socialist
    rabid Green Bay Packers fans
    • 1850, Benson J. Lossing, The Pictorial Fieldbook of the Revolution‎[6], Harper and Brothers Publisher, page 210:
      He was bubbling over with loyalty, and became rabid at the mere mention of annexation. His head was white with the bleaching. of threescore and ten years. Great experience and extensive practical knowledge, with frankness and volubility in conversation, made him a most agreeable companion, and we much regretted parting with him and his amiable daughter at Kingston.
    • 1879, George Somers Bellamy, Essays from Shakspere‎[7], The Edinburgh Publishing Company, pages 96-97:
      Cross-examine the pessimists of your acquaintance, and you will find them one day rabid pessimists. Once more, then, true wisdom, while never ignoring the necessity of moderate hope, will never allow immoderate expectation to be the ascendant star whereby life's course is steered.
    • 1890, Edwin Lassetter Bynner, The Begum's Daughter‎[8], Little, Brown, and Company, page 214:
      " I doubt him ; he is more rabid than ever. 'T was but yesterday he sent forth a proclamation forbidding the British soldiers to walk the streets, — mark ye, Mynheer Beekman, his Majesty's own troops ; he would keep them cooped up."
    • 1896, The University Extension Journal, Volume 1, Number 4‎[9], Archibald Constable & Company, page 96:
      When in 1780 this terrible Prode-zeit was over, and Mirabeau obtained his final release, he emerged not, as we should expect from the violence of his nature, a rabid hater of mankind, a furious revolutionist, a determined avenger of his wrongs, buya man sane in intellect, passionate but with the passion of humanity, humiliated but forgiving, scorned but patient, strong in the strength of his own self-knowledge, determined to win for himself a place in the councils of the nation.
    • 1937, Madras Law Journal, Issue No. 1078‎[10], Mr. R. Narayanaswami Iyer, page 26:
      The plaintiffs G.C., Ltd., were manufacturers and sellers of ‘fittings for hotels and public houses and in particular of apparatus for conveying beers from cellar to bar. The defendants were also manufacturers of another apparatus for the same purpose. The suit was brought by the plaintiffs for damages and for an injunction on the ground that the defendants had falsely and maliciously caused to be published to brewers letters containing statements disparaging the plaintiffs’ apparatus as being obsolete and antihygienic. A copy of this claim was served on the defendants The defendants’ agent H, without the knowledge of defendants sent up ‘copies of this claim to certain brewers with a letter containing the words “since the commencement of this business our sales have shown considerable increases week by week and this unbounded success seems to have aroused the rabid jealousy of Messrs. G. C., Ltd., as shown by; the enclosed ‘statement of claim’ which we received from them . . . we refuse to! be intimidated by these actions, and we intend to contest this ‘cock and bull’ claim to the uttermost degree”. The plaintiffs thereupon moved for contempt of court in publishing this letter and the ‘statement of claim pending trial of the action.

Quotations

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

rabid (plural rabids)

  1. A human or animal infected with rabies.
  2. Someone who is fanatical in opinion.

Anagrams

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