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rife

rife

29 5.6
Very common, especially when it is bad or harmful
  • adjective
  • /raɪf/
translation icon : plagado
  • But such policies were rife with pitfalls, both economic and political.
  • rife with contradictions
  • rife with corruption
  • rife with conflict

And yet this world of testing seems to be rife with all manner of problems.

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Examples

  • Now the site is rife with trash talk and lies.

  • The idea of starting academics early sounds good, but it's rife with problems.

    Academic text (2005)
  • And yet this world of testing seems to be rife with all manner of problems.

  • - We live in times that are rife with ill mental health, especially among the upper class.

  • Sickness is rife in those early years.

  • So for a long time, my marriage was rife with conflict because my husband and I were in the wrong roles.

  • Rumors have been rife that the ambassador and his wife are getting a divorce.

  • Portland is a city that is rife with crime, corruption... and Russians.

  • Reality was of course very different and Roman society was deeply divided and rife with social unrest.

  • Corruption is rife in many large organizations, leading to a loss of trust among employees.

Synonyms

widespread
vsrife
256 3.6

Happening in many places or among many people

is used especially for bad or undesirable situations rather than neutral ones
rampant
vsrife
84 6.5

Spreading quickly and not controlled, often about things like crime or rumours

is common or widespread but not necessarily uncontrolled
pervasive
vsrife
66 7.1

Spreads through a place or group and affects many people

is common without implying thorough spread throughout every part
prevalent
vsrife
64 3.8

Common in many places or among many people at a certain time

is used especially about bad things rather than general commonness
dominant
vsrife
50 4.1

More common than others in a group or place

focuses on being common and often undesirable not on strength or power
predominant
vsrife
20 4.8

More common or important than others in a group

is mainly used to say something is common rather than dominant in power
riddled
vsrife
1 6.1

Full of problems or bad things in every part

is common but does not imply being everywhere inside a thing
prevailing
vsrife
3.9

Most common at a certain time or in a certain place

is about being common generally not only the current most frequent

Antonyms

582 4.1

Not common and appearing in only a few places

122 4.6

Not often found or seen and so rare

How Common

widespread
256 3.6
rife
29 5.6
common
797 1.0
occasional
285 2.8
uncommon
122 4.6
rare
582 4.1

Surface Forms

rife positive
rifer comparative
rifest superlative

Etymology

Rife comes from an old English word rīf meaning 'abundant' or 'plentiful'. So, when something is rife it is very common or widespread, often in a bad or unwanted way.