rife

rife

adj \ˈrīf\

Definition of RIFE

1

: prevalent especially to an increasing degree <suspicion and cruelty were rife — W. E. B. DuBois>

2

: abundant, common

3

: copiously supplied : abounding —usually used with with <rife with rumors>

— rife adverb

— rife·ly adverb

Examples of RIFE

1. Speculation about who would be fired ran rife for weeks.
2. <a city government that is rife with malfeasance and corruption>

Origin of RIFE

Middle English ryfe, from Old English rȳfe; akin to Old Norse rīfr abundant

First Known Use: 12th century

Related to RIFE

Synonyms: abounding, abundant, awash, flush, fraught, lousy, replete, swarming, teeming, thick, thronging

Related Words: brimming, bulging, bursting, chock-full (or chockful), crammed, crowded, fat, filled, full, jammed, jam-packed, loaded, packed, saturated, stuffed; clogged, congested, overcrowded, overfilled, overflowing, overfull, overladen, overloaded, overstuffed, surfeited; alive, animated, astir, bustling, busy, buzzing, humming, lively

Near Antonyms: bare, barren, blank, devoid, empty, stark, vacant, void; depleted, drained, exhausted; deficient, incomplete, insufficient, short

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Rhymes with RIFE

fife, Fife, knife, life, strife, wife