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
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Following the conclusion of WrestleMania 41, a period traditionally marked by roster changes and new storylines, speculation is rife about which NXT talents will be making the jump to the bigger stage.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
And these rumors had become even more rife after 1772 and 1773 when news reached Virginia that a British court had freed a slave who had traveled with his owner to London.
—Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
Despite being released exactly 25 years apart, both features timelessly show the competition that is rife between actors.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 7 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Rife.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rife. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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rife
adjective
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