widening
n. C / Un. the process of making something broader or more open. It can describe a physical change, like a road, or an abstract one, like a gap between two groups.
n. the act or process of increasing the breadth or extent of something. Often used to describe physical expansion or the increasing disparity between two metrics.
The widening of the road caused traffic delays.
Economists are concerned about the widening of the wealth gap between urban and rural populations.
The widening of the investigation to include international subsidiaries revealed a systemic pattern of financial irregularities that had previously gone unnoticed by local auditors.
Functions as a gerund noun; uncountable when referring to the general process and countable when referring to a specific instance or project.