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What verbs, phrases and expressions can be used in this sentence to replace "be rife with" and also make the sentence sound less formal than it is now (I'd specifically like to have a verb there):

This part of city is rife with crime.

I need synomyms that exactly do here!
In my thesausus some words are mentioned as synonymous. For example:

OVERFLOWING, bursting, alive, swarming, teeming, seething, lousy; ABOUNDING IN, abundant in, overrun by, full of

But I don't think all those words can be used in my sentence.
'Full of' sounds normal, but I'm looking for something different, specially a verb.
'Abound with' as a verb phrase would be a good choice, but to me the connotation it carries is positive. I'd like to know what native speakers think

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    "Full of" would be a good option.
    – Alex K
    Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 0:17
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    (rife with) and check the synonyms.
    – user3169
    Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 0:19
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    True point about synonyms and interchangeability! However, people posting questions on the Stack Exchange are supposed to do the basic research first. At the very least, I'd expect a question like this to include some of the synonyms found in a thesaurus, along with an explanation as to why those words won't do, and why you're asking for more help here. Without that, you can't fault others for posting such a link in the comments.
    – J.R. ♦
    Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 1:33
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    This part of the city abounds in crime, crime prevails in this part of the city, crime is very common in this part of the city, or crime rules this part.......
    – Khan
    Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 3:15
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    "lousy" with crime
    – costrom
    Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 17:16

2 Answers 2

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I would probably say "crime-ridden" - dominated or plagued by crime.

This part of the city is crime-ridden.
This part of the city is plagued by crime.
This part of the city is infested with crime.
This part of the city is drowning in crime.

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A substitute for "rife with" could be as follows:

  • full of
  • bursting with
  • teeming with
  • alive with

I hope this helps!

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  • You mean you could say "This part of the city is alive with crime"?! Sounds weird, but may be it is correct. Are you a native speaker of English?
    – Englishfreak
    Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 9:21
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    @Cheiloproclitic "alive with crime" is not a phrase I would use. "Bursting with", "teeming with", and "alive with" don't go with crime. You could say "teeming with criminals" maybe.
    – ColleenV
    Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 15:00

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