rife
English · Español · Português · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
rife
- /ɹaɪf/ UK
Rhymes with -aɪf
Where it comes from
From Middle English rife, from Old English rīfe, rȳfe (“rife, abundant, frequent”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīb, from Proto-Germanic *rībaz (“generous”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyp- (“to tear (off), rip”). Cognate with West Frisian rju (“rife, much”), Dutch rijf (“abundant, copious”), Low German rive (“abundant, munificent”), Icelandic rífur (“rife, munificent”), Faroese ríviligur (“plentiful, abundant”), Faroese rívan (“abundantly”), Icelandic reifa (“to bestow”).
adjective rifer · rifest
-
Widespread, common, prevalent, current (mainly of unpleasant or harmful things).
Smallpox was rife after the siege had been lifted.
Similar: pandemic
-
Abounding; present in large numbers, plentiful.
Red deer are rife in these woodlands.
Similar: filled
-
Full of (mostly unpleasant or harmful things).
Many post-colonial governments were rife with lawlessness and corruption.
Similar: fraught
- Having power; active; nimble. What! I am rife a little yet.
Similar: ubiquitous
adverb more rife · most rife
- Plentifully, abundantly. The snowdrops grow rife on the slopes of Mount Pembroke.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: abundant, overabundant, prevailing, prevalent, current, plethoric, extensive, extended, predominant, widespread, teeming, general, generalised, sage, generalized, frequent
adjective
Similar: ubiquitous
Translations
Every language
adj Widespread, common (especially of unpleasant or harmful things)
| Español | extendido |
|---|---|
| Français | étendu, répandu |
| Italiano | diffuso |
| Русский | киша́щий kišáščij |
adj Abounding; present in large numbers, plentiful
| Español | abundante |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 満ちた michita |
| Français | abondant |
| Русский | изоби́лующий izobílujuščij, распространённый rasprostranjónnyj |
adv Plentifully, abundantly
| Español | abundantemente, copiosamente |
|---|---|
| Русский | оби́льно obílʹno |
Talk about this word "rife." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rife. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. rife. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rife "rife." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rife.Cite this
@misc{rife_2026,
title = {rife},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rife},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
