W. E. B. Du Bois
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English is rife with words that have Germanic connections, many of which have been handed down to us from Old English. Rife is one of those words. Not a whole lot has changed with rife in its long history. We continue to use the word for negative things, especially those that are widespread or prevalent. Examples are "shoplifting was rife" or "the city was rife with greed and corruption." Rumors and speculation are also frequently described as "rife." But rife can also be appropriately used for good or neutral things. For example, you might speak of the summer garden being "rife" with scents.
Synonyms
Examples of rife in a Sentence
Sophia Saifi, CNN, 31 Aug. 2024
But the fire is burning in steep, jagged terrain that is proving difficult to access — including areas such as the Ishi Wilderness that haven’t burned in decades and so are overgrown and rife for fire, Tracy said.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2024
Suspicion about the authenticity of some of the artworks, including two paintings apiece by Jung-seob and Soo-keun, was apparently rife from the onset.
—George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 4 July 2024
Experts say the region’s grasses and hillsides are rife for fast-moving flames, and crews are struggling to gain a foothold on the blazes, which also include the 22,000-acre Airport fire and the 35,000-acre Line fire.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Rife.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rife. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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rife
adjective
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