Parched means dried out completely by heat. Parched earth, parched fields, absolutely parched.
Of ground it means cracked and hard, which is what makes a downpour run off instead of soaking in — parched land floods more easily than damp land, which surprises people. Of a person it is an informal way of saying very thirsty. Note parch, which also means to roast grain lightly.
1adjectiveparchedDried out completely by heat.
“After months without rain, the fields were parched and cracked.”
synonyms: arid, baked
parched is a quality of dryness.