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

Monetizing attention is, of course, widely considered a net negative for civil discourse and cognitive autonomy—such as what students practiced on college quads across America to protest the Gaza war. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

French is Guadeloupe’s official language, but Creole is widely spoken on the island of more than 370,000 people, the majority of whom are Black. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Sampling and drum machines arrived within roughly a decade of each other, and digital audio workstations became widely adopted in the early 2000s. — Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026

The court was widely expected to approve the settlement, with the top ranks of the combined company coming together. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 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