parched earth

USAGE SUMMARY

"parched earth" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to soil or land that is dry and cracked due to a lack of moisture, usually caused by extreme heat or drought. For example, "The summer heat had created a stretch of parched earth, with not a drop of rain in sight."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

A plant pushes up through parched earth in India's southwestern Karnataka state.

Los Angeles Times

A long winter's nap The parched earth Reprints Related items Indonesia: In Aceh, &ldquo Indonesian” is a synonym for foreignerAug 8th 2002On the other hand, the Henry Dunant Centre, a Swiss organisation that brokered both deals, seems to have learned from its past mistakes.

The Economist

The examples of these affronts are numerous and include the earthquake in Haiti that destroyed its capital city; flooding in Pakistan that submerged one-fifth of the country; parched earth and hunger across the Sahel; and displacement and violence in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia.

Unicef

Here in Mali, where shepherds chase skinny goats across the parched earth, people still grumble about hunger and political corruption.

The New York Times

A long winter's nap The parched earth ReprintsThe drought is another episode in the story of Australia's problems of meagre water supplies and volatile climate.

The Economist

The world witnessed overpowering humanitarian crises in 2010: flooding in Pakistan submerged one-fifth of the country; the earthquake in Haiti claimed over 200,000 lives and displaced millions; the parched earth and lack of food across the Sahel continues to threaten hundreds of thousands of children with severe acute malnutrition.

Unicef

The novel is set in Desperance, a town of red, parched earth and roaring rivers not unlike the rough outback town of Cloncurry, where Wright grew up.

The New York Times - Books

I'd always known ents – but in the north of Nigeria, they were the solitary giants of baobab trees, stranded on parched earth on the way to some prehistoric moot.

The Guardian - Books

And suddenly, all the anguish, the misery, the upheaval of the four wars of Yugoslavia's destruction, of the hundreds of thousands of dead, of the countless divided families and broken homes, wells up in this Belgrade room, and the face of Daniel's wife, Milena, cracks like parched earth, and she sobs uncontrollably.

The New York Times - Magazine

The classic image of India in summer — the photographer's cliché of a line of women walking across parched earth with water pots perched on their heads — might persist.

The New York Times

Here, two extended families graze sheep and goats and tease crops from the parched earth.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "parched earth" to vividly describe landscapes suffering from drought or extreme heat, emphasizing the dryness and lack of life.

Common error

Avoid using "parched earth" metaphorically when describing emotional states or situations that don't involve literal dryness or barrenness. Stick to literal or closely related figurative uses to maintain its impact.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "parched earth" functions as a descriptive noun phrase, typically used to depict a landscape suffering from severe drought or extreme dryness. Ludwig AI confirms its correct and usable nature, illustrating its role in portraying arid conditions.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

68%

Formal & Business

18%

Science

14%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "parched earth" is a descriptive phrase used to vividly portray landscapes suffering from drought or extreme heat. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct and widely used, particularly in news and media and formal business contexts. When using this expression, ensure it accurately reflects conditions of dryness and barrenness, avoiding overuse in unrelated metaphorical contexts. Alternative phrases like "arid soil" or "desiccated ground" can offer nuanced variations, while the phrase's overall register remains generally neutral to formal.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

arid soil

Focuses on the soil's dryness rather than the overall landscape.

dried-up land

Emphasizes the process of drying and its resulting state.

desiccated ground

Highlights the extreme dryness and lack of moisture.

barren landscape

Shifts the focus to the lack of vegetation and productivity.

cracked soil

Emphasizes the visual texture of the dry earth.

sun-baked ground

Indicates the cause of the dryness as intense sunlight.

dusty terrain

Focuses on the fine particles and dryness of the land.

arid terrain

Replaces 'soil' with 'terrain', giving a broader sense of a dry region.

dehydrated soil

Stresses the absence of water in the ground.

lifeless soil

Focuses on the inability of the soil to support life.

FAQs

How can I use "parched earth" in a sentence?

"Parched earth" is used to describe dry, cracked soil due to lack of water. Example: "The crops withered and died in the fields of "parched earth"."

What is another way to say "parched earth"?

Alternatives to "parched earth" include "arid soil", "desiccated ground", or "barren landscape", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

What does "parched" mean in the phrase "parched earth"?

In "parched earth", "parched" means extremely dry, especially because of hot weather and lack of rain. It describes the state of the earth being severely dehydrated.

Is it correct to say "parched land" instead of "parched earth"?

Yes, "parched land" is a perfectly acceptable alternative. While "earth" specifies the soil, "land" refers more generally to the area or terrain, both conveying a similar meaning of dryness and barrenness.