# broad strokes

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/broad-strokes
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Major features or key points; outline.

## Examples

- He explained the plan in broad strokes.
- The architect described the new building in broad strokes before showing us the detailed blueprints.
- The historian painted the era in broad strokes, focusing on major political shifts rather than the daily lives of ordinary citizens.

## Origin

Attested as an allusion to a manner of painting, in which a brush is used to apply pigment in wide, non-specific movements. The imagery suggests the initial stages of a composition where detail is sacrificed for the sake of the general outline.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.