1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

widespread

adjective

ˈwīd-ˈspred How to pronounce widespread (audio)
Definition of widespreadnext
as in extensive
having considerable extent a widespread area of drought

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 widespread With majority power comes bigger budgets and staff, and the ability to investigate, subpoena and potentially course-correct what the Democrats say are widespread corruption and abuses of power. — Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026 The frame is squarish in shape, recalling the years before wide-screens were widespread; the colors, especially the flesh tones, are luridly oversaturated. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026 Decades of energy transition policies led to the widespread decommissioning of coal plants. — CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026 Sick old facilities Mold caused the most widespread disruptions. — Rebecca Smullin Dawson, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for widespread
Recent Examples of Synonyms for widespread
  1. extensive
  2. broad
  3. wide
  4. sweeping
  5. deep
Adjective
  • Avila said the attack left her with severe injuries to her arm and face, extensive scarring, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
  • In that hands-on evaluation, the reviewer put the Flow 2 through extensive real-world testing across two months in a demanding household environment, covering over 100 cleaning jobs and more than 18,500 square feet of floor space.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of extensive
Adjective
  • ConnCORP, meanwhile, is spearheading First HAVEN, a broader $200 million redevelopment project in Dixwell.
    — P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, it is intended to become a broader technology ecosystem combining private companies, investment, research and development and military testing.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of broad
Adjective
  • Available in both standard and wide sizes, this sneaker is designed with shock absorption to keep you feeling light on your feet.
    — Cheryl Wagemann, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026
  • In amphibians, chytridiomycosis causes a wide variety of symptoms including skin damage, red skin, convulsions, and eventually leads to heart failure.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of wide
Adjective
  • Atmosphere is a sweeping romance between two pioneering female astronauts breaking into NASA in the early days of the shuttle program in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
    — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
  • In the sweeping farmlands near the Central Coast, a seed supplier that cultivates peppers, vegetables and fruit was hit with more than two dozen pesticide safety violations, some of them serious offenses that caused health or environmental hazards.
    — Robert J. Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of sweeping
Adjective
  • Like other Vionic shoes, these have a deep heel cup to stabilize the foot and ankle.
    — Cheryl Wagemann, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Such abandonment wounds are deep and destabilizing; the younger the child, the deeper the wound and the harder to form a sense of self and of value as an adult.
    — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of deep

Browse Nearby Words

wide-ranging
widespread
widget
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Widespread.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widespread. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of epistemic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All