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Copious vs Rife - What's the difference?

copious | rife |

As adjectives the difference between copious and rife

is that copious is great in quantity or number, profuse, abundant; taking place on a large scale while rife is widespread, common (especially of unpleasant or harmful things).

As an adverb rife is

plentifully, abundantly.

copious

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Great in quantity or number, profuse, abundant; taking place on a large scale.
  • * 1748 . David Hume. Enquiry concerning Human Understanding. Section 3. ยง 18.
    • These loose hints I have thrown together, in order to excite the curiosity of philosophers, and beget a suspicion at least, if not a full persuasion, that this subject is very copious ,
  • Having an abundant supply.
  • Full of thought, information, or matter; exuberant in words, expression, or style.

    • Related terms

    * copiously * copiousness

    References

    rife

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Widespread, common (especially of unpleasant or harmful things).
    • Smallpox was rife after the siege had been lifted.
  • * Arbuthnot
    • Before the plague of London, inflammations of the lungs were rife and mortal.
  • * Milton
    • The tumult of loud mirth was rife .
  • * 1900 , Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams'', ''Avon Books , (translated by James Strachey) pg. 170:
    • The 'denominational considerations' mentioned below relate, of course, to anti-Semitic feeling, which was already rife in Vienna during the last years of the nineteenth century.
  • * 2013 , Daniel Taylor, Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic climbs highest to sink Benfica'' (in ''The Guardian , 15 May 2013)[http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/may/15/benfica-chelsea-europa-league]
    • They will have to reflect on a seventh successive defeat in a European final while Chelsea try to make sense of an eccentric season rife with controversy and bad feeling but once again one finishing on an exhilarating high.
  • Abounding; present in large numbers, plentiful.
    • These woodlands are rife with red deer.
  • (obsolete) Having power; active; nimble.
  • * J. Webster
    • What! I am rife a little yet.

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • Plentifully, abundantly.
    • The snowdrops grow rife on the slopes of Mount Pembroke.

    Anagrams

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