widely

adverb

wide·​ly ˈwīd-lē 

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

Examples 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

Drucker remained widely read, but the political center of gravity had shifted. — Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026

More than simply creating programs, professors must try to prepare students for widely differing goals for using AI in their careers. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

The Mariners were widely expected to dangle starting pitchers ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, with Castillo being the worst-performing and highest-paid of the bunch. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Sodium is one of the most abundant elements on Earth and is widely available across many regions, unlike lithium, whose mining and refining remain concentrated in relatively few countries. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing widely

• widely believed
• widely distributed

Rhymes for widely

• impliedly
• idly
• unqualifiedly