What this suffix does
-ridden describes something persistently dominated or plagued by something negative: guilt-ridden, debt-ridden, crime-ridden.
ESEN
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 deIntermediate
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
It is productive: you can invent new ones
Unlike other closed suffixes, -ridden can be used freely: "stress-ridden", "problem-ridden" make sense even if they are not in the dictionary. Very common in news writing to describe chronic problems.
How it is formed
Negative noun + ridden.
- guilt + riddenguilt-ridden
- debt + riddendebt-ridden
- crime + riddencrime-ridden
Unlike other suffixes like this one, -ridden is productive: you can combine it with any negative noun and it will be understood, even if it is not an "official" dictionary word.
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-riddenHe felt guilt-ridden after forgetting her birthday.
- debtdebt-riddenThe debt-ridden company had to lay off half its staff.
- crimecrime-riddenThat used to be a crime-ridden neighborhood, but it's much safer now.
- anxietyanxiety-riddenShe spent an anxiety-ridden week waiting for the test results.
- diseasedisease-riddenThe disease-ridden village needed urgent medical help.
- corruptioncorruption-riddenVoters are tired of the corruption-ridden government.
- conflictconflict-riddenThe conflict-ridden region has seen little peace in years.
- fearfear-riddenThe fear-ridden community wanted more police patrols.
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" comes from "ride" (to ride a horse). Picture the problem RIDING you like you were the horse, and you can't shake it off: guilt-RIDDEN = guilt rides you and won't let go.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"The city was a crime-ridden area." What does "crime-ridden" imply?
Exercise 3 · Form the word
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.
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