1
: over or through a wide area
has traveled widely
2
: to a great extent
departed widely from the previous edition
3
: by or among a large well-dispersed group of people
a widely known political figure
4
: over a broad range
persons with widely fluctuating incomes—
Current Biography
Current BiographyExamples of widely in a Sentence
Their products are widely available.
a widely known political figure
The books are widely read by adults as well as children.
Recent Examples on the Web
Fong was also boosted by the endorsement from Trump in March, widely seen as orchestrated by McCarthy.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
The series updates — by more closely following Highsmith’s tricky, nasty novel — a film that’s widely beloved, and does so with a leading man whose reputation is for suffering sweetly.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for widely 
Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
The series updates — by more closely following Highsmith’s tricky, nasty novel — a film that’s widely beloved, and does so with a leading man whose reputation is for suffering sweetly.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for widely
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'widely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Widely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/widely. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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