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
Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Speculation has been rife over who will be cast in the film.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
In classical antiquity, the mountainous region was notorious for bandits; in modern times, blood feuds among clans were rife.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Rumors have been rife for quite some time now, but finally, the company has confirmed that production has started for its muscle cruiser.
—New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rife
Cite this Entry
“Rife.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rife. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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rife
adjective
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