W. E. B. Du Bois
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English is rife with words that have been handed down to us from Old English—among them, rife. It comes from the Old English adjective rȳfe and first appeared in written form in the 12th century. Its oldest meaning, still in use today, is synonymous with widespread and prevalent; it's more likely, however, than either of those to describe negative things, as in “corruption and greed were rife in City Hall.” Most often, rife is used alongside with to mean “abounding.” Although rife can be appropriately used for good or neutral things in this sense (and all senses), as in the first sentence of this paragraph, like its synonym and fellow Old English descendant lousy (from the Old English noun lūs, meaning “louse”), it tends to describe things one wishes weren’t in such copious supply.
Examples of rife in a Sentence
Alliance Manchester Business School, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Milena was not, and antisemitism was rife in Europe even before the rise of National Socialism.
—Christine Estima
september 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025
Antisemitism is rife right across the UK.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Divisions are still rife within the European Union, with its two largest economies sitting at opposing ends of the spectrum on nuclear power.
—Anna Heim, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Rife.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rife. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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rife
adjective
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