rife

[ rahyf ]

adjective

1. of common or frequent occurrence; prevalent; in widespread existence, activity, or use:

   Crime is rife in the slum areas of our cities.

2. current in speech or report:

   Rumors are rife that the government is in financial difficulty.

3. abundant, plentiful, or numerous.

   Synonyms: teeming, multitudinous, plenteous

   Antonyms: scarce

4. abounding (usually followed by with ).

rife

/ raɪf /

adjective

1. of widespread occurrence; prevalent or current

   rumour was rife in the village

2. very plentiful; abundant
3. foll by with abounding (in)

   a land rife with poverty

Derived Forms

• ˈrifely, adverb
• ˈrifeness, noun

Other Words From

• rifely adverb
• rifeness noun
• over·rife adjective
• un·rife adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rife¹

before 1150; Middle English; Old English rīfe; cognate with Middle Dutch rijf abundant, Old Norse rīfr

Word History and Origins

Origin of rife¹

Old English rīfe ; related to Old Norse rīfr generous, Middle Dutch rīve

Example Sentences

Running Twitter was rife with concerns about managing the heat in a September edition of the Boston Marathon.

From Outside Online

Many of her students live in two- or three-bedroom apartments with families of up to eight people, creating an environment rife with distractions.

From Washington Post

They are contingent on assumptions that can change overnight, and as a result they are rife with uncertainty.

From Quanta Magazine

So are farmed salmon, farmed shrimp, and cat food, which relies on meal made out of small fish caught in fisheries rife with human suffering.

From Outside Online

The unofficial board has hosted virtual events, including live commentary during Wednesday’s Senate hearing at which Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified to a committee rife with skeptical legislators.

From Fortune

The banlieue setting is rough and rife with violence and drug trafficking.

From The Daily Beast

(Referenda tend to be expensive, rife with misinformation, and favorable to extreme positions).

From The Daily Beast

Adding insult to injury for these ethnically distinct residents, discrimination and racism are rife on a daily basis.

From The Daily Beast

It is all a result of segregated communities where illiteracy is rife and the men think they can get away with anything.

From The Daily Beast

The years between 26 and 34 are rife with those kinds of life changes so heavy they earn moniker of “milestones.”

From The Daily Beast

Foot and mouth disease had for some time been rife in Great Britain and Ireland, and legislation became necessary.

From Project Gutenberg

Blood-shed, oppression, extortion, and all the instinctive habits of the shrewd savage were again rife.

From Project Gutenberg

Never had her solemn vows of obedience been so utterly despised; never had the temptation to evil been so rife in her heart.

From Project Gutenberg

Speculation on this point was rife everywhere, and on no one had it a stronger hold than on Howard himself.

From Project Gutenberg

Rumours of a fleet to be commanded by Stukeley were again rife, and some talked of as many as fifty ships.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• abundant
• alive
• plentiful
• popular
• prevalent
• rampant
• replete