Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RAMPANT

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pronounce RAMPANT: Say it "RAM punt." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: Both ramp and rampant trace back to a French word meaning "to climb, to scale, or to mount." It makes sense when you think of how we use the word rampant today: it most often means "ramping up: running wild, spreading uncontrollably." But originally, the word rampant in English had a more literal meaning. It first described animals portrayed standing up, with their paws up in a threatening way. That's still one way we use the word rampant: to describe the position of animals on coats of arms, like the rampant lion below. Speaking of heraldic lions, see if you can recall a word that means "newborn: just now appearing, starting up, being produced, or coming into existence"--or, in heraldry, "drawn from the head to the waist only, as if springing into being from the middle of the shield." It's nai____t.  (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: Something rampant can be fierce, like a lion with its paws in the air. But more often, something rampant is harmful and spreading rapidly, in an uncontrolled way. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Adjective: "a rampant disease." Other forms:  The adverb is "rampantly." The noun is "rampancy," pronounced "RAM pun see." Hear it here. how to use it: "Rampant" has a negative tone. It's a formal, common word. You use it to emphasize how things are getting out of hand, spreading uncontrollably. Say that they're rampant, or that they're running rampant: "He had seen secrecy running rampant" (Amy Butler Greenfield); "the public’s sense that violent crime is rampant and forever on the rise" (Michelle Alexander). You might talk about rampant rumors, crime, poverty, disease, or corruption. Or the rampant use of drugs. You might talk even more abstractly about some idea, feeling, or attitude being or running rampant: "the alienation rampant in geek culture" (Jon Katz); "Mob mentality is running rampant in there" (Francesca Zappia). It's a pretty serious word, but you can use it more lightly: "a rampant disdain for simple carbs," "a rampant disregard of apostrophes." examples: "Joko Widodo vowed in his presidential campaign to improve [Indonesia's] human rights record. He went on to win, although Amnesty International said rampant abuses continued."    — Cara Buckley, New York Times, 15 July 2015 "Rumors of my death have been running rampant, so they send in the team to film me in my hospital bed."    — Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay, 2010 has this page helped you understand "rampant"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "rampant" without saying "unchecked" or "rearing its ugly head all over the place." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "In (some place or group), (some bad thing) runs rampant." Example: "In classes where the teachers had burned out, where they were giving the same photocopied tests from year to year, cheating ran rampant." If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game this month is Apt Adjective Anagrams! I'll invent a person's name and a brief description, and you unscramble the letters in their name to form an adjective that aptly describes the person or the person's situation. For example: Carl Rebe has three advanced degrees. You rearrange the letters in "Carl Rebe" to form the adjective "cerebral," meaning "brainy, smart, or intellectual.” Sentimental movies always bring Martin Devesto to tears? He’s demonstrative. Lilian Tulip is dainty in the extreme? She’s lilliputian. Tia Fauns runs a sweatshop and is filthy rich? Perhaps she made a bargain with the devil, because her lifestyle is Faustian. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Try this one today: Thankfully, Human Resources stopped your manager Dana Ronci from firing anyone who clocked in at 9:01AM or later. review this word: 1. One opposite of RAMPANT is A. RARE. B. LEVEL. C. SHINY. 2. "Rampant" is a 2018 Korean film about a _____. A. music festival B. zombie invasion C. farmers market Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B Answer to the game question: Her policies are Draconian. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.