adj
rife
ryf
adj
1
Widespread or common, usually referring to something unpleasant.
"Rumours were rife in the office after the announcement."
"Corruption was rife in the old regime."
2
Full of something, typically undesirable things.
"The abandoned building was rife with mould and rot."
How to Use Rife
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishVery common or widespread — almost always describing something bad, like rumours, disease, or corruption.
Common mistake
Rife is normally followed by "with" (rife with problems), not "of" or "in".
Common pairings
rife with rumours
speculation is rife
rife with corruption
Word Forms
rifer comparative, more rife comparative, rifest superlative, most rife superlative
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Etymology
From Old English rīfe (\"abundant, frequent\"), related to Dutch rijf (\"abundant\").