widespread
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
existing or happening in many places and affecting many people.
distributed over a broad area or occurring extensively within a specific group or system.
Simple“There is widespread concern about the new law among small business owners.”
In context“Despite the implementation of new safety protocols, there remains widespread skepticism regarding the long-term efficacy of the proposed measures.”
UsageOften used to describe abstract nouns like concern, belief, support, or poverty.
Teacher's tipThis is a high-frequency word in academic and journalistic writing; it sounds more formal than saying 'many people think' or 'it is everywhere'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
covering a very large physical area.
extending over a wide geographical range or physical space.
Simple“The storm caused widespread damage across the entire valley.”
In context“The satellite imagery revealed widespread deforestation along the border, indicating a significant shift in local land-use patterns over the last decade.”
Antonyms
Usage widespread criticism · widespread damage · widespread public
“By December, the problems had become widespread, with at least nine blocks affected.”
“It’s become such a widespread activity that they reveal there have been more than 8,500 incidents of illegal hare coursing reported to the police in the last three years.”
From wide + spread.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.