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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of widely
Cobalt is widely used in the production of rechargeable batteries and even in aerospace applications.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2025
Many of these attacks have been widely documented and videos have surfaced online, showing some Palestinians left bloodied and beaten.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Screened widely at festivals and shortlisted for the 2026 Goya Awards.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Garfield was shot before germ theory was widely accepted by doctors, who did not wash their hands or sanitize medical tools.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widely
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2025
Many of these attacks have been widely documented and videos have surfaced online, showing some Palestinians left bloodied and beaten.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Screened widely at festivals and shortlisted for the 2026 Goya Awards.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Garfield was shot before germ theory was widely accepted by doctors, who did not wash their hands or sanitize medical tools.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for widely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widely
Adverb
-
Few appetizers are as easy to prepare and universally appealing as a steamy bowl of edamame pods enhanced with coarse salt.—
Tammy Algood,
Southern Kitchen,
11 Nov. 2025
-
The design is simple enough to pair them with sneakers or heels, and the fabric drapes in a universally flattering way.—
Anne Taylor,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
The rise of Amazon and e-commerce more broadly didn’t help.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The phrase ‘regulate…importation’ is surrounded by verbs like ‘nullify, void, prevent, and prohibit,’ so it, too, should be interpreted broadly — to include tariffs.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
To embody the Like a Rolling Stone singer, the actor trained extensively, including five years of preparation, to learn to sing as well as play guitar and harmonica, and to work with dialect and movement coaches to make his performance feel authentic.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Joy Buolamwini, a computer scientist at MIT Media Lab, has written extensively on the dangers of inaccurate and racially biased facial recognition systems.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Widely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widely. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share