rife
Americanadjective
-
of common or frequent occurrence; prevalent; in widespread existence, activity, or use.
Crime is rife in the slum areas of our cities.
-
current in speech or report.
Rumors are rife that the government is in financial difficulty.
-
abundant, plentiful, or numerous.
- Synonyms:
- teeming , multitudinous , plenteous
- Antonyms:
- scarce
-
abounding (usually followed bywith ).
adjective
-
of widespread occurrence; prevalent or current
rumour was rife in the village
-
very plentiful; abundant
-
(foll by with) abounding (in)
a land rife with poverty
Other Word Forms
- overrife adjective
- rifely adverb
- rifeness noun
- unrife adjective
Etymology
Origin of rife
before 1150; Middle English; Old English rīfe; cognate with Middle Dutch rijf abundant, Old Norse rīfr
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He claimed "leaks and spin" from the Treasury had led to market speculation being "rife and the gilt markets volatile".
From BBC
Typewritten photo captions were brief and rife with spelling and factual errors.
From BBC
On Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver her Budget, with speculation rife about those who will and won't benefit this time around.
From BBC
But Dillon’s memoir, as the author notes, was also rife with fictions.
Mr. Grewal asserts that Delaware’s trial court is “rife with unpredictability.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
