as in universally
across a large area, group, or range
Originally invented in the United States, baseball is now a widely played sport around the world.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of widely
The video has been shared widely on X and TikTok and has generated sharp backlash online.
—
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Parks in general are expected to remain open, but visitor services will vary widely, wrote Eve Chen for USA TODAY.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
It’s widely speculated that the song is about Taylor Swift, especially since the two singers were both dating people in the band the 1975 at one point.
—James Factora, Them., 3 Oct. 2025
They’re elegantly rendered in what looks to be Windsor Light Condensed, widely recognizable as Woody Allen’s onscreen typeface of choice.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widely
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Parks in general are expected to remain open, but visitor services will vary widely, wrote Eve Chen for USA TODAY.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
It’s widely speculated that the song is about Taylor Swift, especially since the two singers were both dating people in the band the 1975 at one point.
—James Factora, Them., 3 Oct. 2025
They’re elegantly rendered in what looks to be Windsor Light Condensed, widely recognizable as Woody Allen’s onscreen typeface of choice.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widely
Adverb
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And even these haven’t been universally embraced.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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This is not universally appreciated.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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More broadly, advocates have expressed concerns that the OMB and its director, Russell Vought, may use the lack of legislative direction to implement devastating changes at the space agency.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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Public opinion broadly supported Democrats at the time of the dispute that turned into the longest shutdown in the nation’s history.—
Ronald J. Hansen,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Moscow has denied targeting civilians in its war against Ukraine, although thousands have been killed and residential areas extensively damaged by its attacks.—
Pavel Polityuk,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
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The Navy searched the area extensively, but after two weeks, Earhart and Noonan were declared lost at sea.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Widely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widely. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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