widespread

adjective

wide·​spread ˈwīd-ˈspred 

1

: widely diffused or prevalent

widespread public interest

2

: widely extended or spread out

low, widespread hood and fenders

—Time

a widespread erosion surface

—C. B. Hitchcock

Synonyms

• broad
• deep
• expansive
• extended
• extensive
• far-flung
• far-reaching
• rangy
• sweeping
• wide
• wide-ranging

Examples of widespread in a Sentence

There is widespread public interest in the election.

Trade partners had become more widespread.

There was widespread opposition to the plan.

Recent Examples on the Web

The winner of the presidential election was declared early the next morning, few people claimed widespread voter fraud, and the losing candidate conceded defeat. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024

Even operations that military analysts laud for their technical sophistication have lacked the precision to avoid widespread harm to civilians. —Sarah E. Parkinson, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2024

Law enforcement agencies did not report any significant crashes and Xcel Energy did not report any widespread power outages as of late Friday. —Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2024

But such a widespread embrace is definitely a big win for her. —Justin Curto, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

widespread

adjective

wide·​spread ˈwīd-ˈspred 

1

: scattered or found over a wide area

widespread interest in the election

2

: spread out over a wide area

widespread wings