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Suffix · forms adjectives

-ridden

Forms adjectives describing something persistently dominated or plagued by something negative: guilt-ridden, debt-ridden, crime-ridden, anxiety-ridden, corruption-ridden.

In Spanish: dominado por / plagado deLiterary

Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated June 2026

What does -ridden express?

-ridden comes from the past participle of "ride" (to ride, to be carried on). The image is of something negative "riding" the person, place, or situation — controlling it persistently: Emotional or moral states: • guilt-ridden = tormented by persistent guilt • anxiety-ridden = dominated by persistent anxiety • fear-ridden = dominated by persistent fear • shame-ridden = tormented by ongoing shame Social or physical conditions: • debt-ridden = overwhelmed by debt • crime-ridden = persistently plagued by crime • disease-ridden = persistently afflicted by disease • corruption-ridden = thoroughly corrupted • conflict-ridden = persistently shaken by conflicts

-ridden in literary and journalistic prose

-ridden compounds are extraordinarily productive in literary and journalistic English because they condense a chronic, dominant condition into a single word: "a guilt-ridden hero" = a protagonist tormented by past guilt "a debt-ridden country" = a country overwhelmed by debt "a corruption-ridden system" = a system corrupted to its core "an anxiety-ridden society" = a society dominated by anxiety The key is persistence: not a sudden blow (like -stricken) but a condition that endures and dominates.

Guilt-ridden: the archetypal literary character

"Guilt-ridden" is the most common -ridden compound in literary narrative. The "guilt-ridden" protagonist is an archetype of the modern novel: someone carrying the weight of a past error that conditions every present decision. In crime fiction, modern drama, and psychology, "guilt-ridden" describes both fictional characters and real situations: "The guilt-ridden detective returned to the scene of the crime." "She spent years guilt-ridden over the accident." "A guilt-ridden confession changed everything." Mastering "guilt-ridden" allows you to read and write about psychology and narrative with much greater precision.

How it is pronounced

-ridden/ˈrɪdən/ · sounds like "ridden"

Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.

Examples

Base word
With -ridden
In a phrase
  • guiltguilt-riddenThe guilt-ridden soldier could not stop reliving the events of that night.
  • debtdebt-riddenThe debt-ridden company declared bankruptcy after three years of losses.
  • crimecrime-riddenThe reforms were aimed at reviving the crime-ridden neighbourhood.
  • anxietyanxiety-riddenThe anxiety-ridden students paced the corridor before the exam.
  • diseasedisease-riddenAid workers entered the disease-ridden camp with protective equipment.
  • corruptioncorruption-riddenReformers faced the challenge of cleaning up a corruption-ridden system.
  • conflictconflict-riddenThe conflict-ridden region had seen no peace in a generation.
  • fearfear-riddenA fear-ridden population rarely challenges those in power.

Common mistakes

guilt ridden (no hyphen)
guilt-ridden (hyphenated)

-ridden compounds consistently take a hyphen: guilt-ridden, debt-ridden, crime-ridden. This is a reliable rule for this group.

ridden with guilt = guilt-ridden (interchangeable)
both are correct but structurally different

"Guilt-ridden" (compound adjective) and "ridden with guilt" (predicative phrase) express the same concept. Both are correct. "Ridden with X" + noun = "X-ridden" + noun.

A trick to remember it

-ridden compounds are very productive — you can create new ones on the fly. "Stress-ridden," "problem-ridden," "controversy-ridden" are immediately understandable even if they do not appear in dictionaries. In literature and journalism, mastering this pattern lets you describe chronic negative conditions with great precision and economy of words.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Form the word

Fill in: "The ___ protagonist spent years trying to make amends." (tormented by persistent guilt)

Hint: Guilt + ridden: ridden and dominated by guilt.

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

"The city was a crime-ridden area." What does "crime-ridden" imply?

Exercise 3 · Form the word

Fill in: "The ___ country struggled to repay its international loans." (overwhelmed by debt)

Hint: Debt + ridden: ridden and crushed by debt.

Frequently asked questions

What does the suffix -ridden mean in English?

The suffix -ridden forms adjectives describing something persistently dominated or plagued by something negative: guilt-ridden, debt-ridden, crime-ridden, anxiety-ridden, corruption-ridden. In Spanish it usually maps to dominado por / plagado de.

How do you pronounce -ridden?

The ending -ridden is pronounced /ˈrɪdən/ · sounds like "ridden". For example, "guilt-ridden".

Can you give an example of a word with -ridden?

"guilt" becomes "guilt-ridden". It is a typical example of the -ridden suffix.

Other useful suffixes

  • -bound

    From the past participle of "bind": forms adjectives meaning "confined by," "heading toward," or "obligated by." Spellbound, earthbound, homebound, hidebound, snowbound, inbound.

  • -stricken

    Forms adjectives describing someone or something severely affected by an emotion, condition, or calamity: poverty-stricken, grief-stricken, panic-stricken, awe-stricken, drought-stricken.

  • -struck

    Forms adjectives describing someone suddenly and intensely affected: awestruck, thunderstruck, starstruck, dumbstruck, moonstruck, horror-struck.

Learn every English suffix

-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.

View all suffixes
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