widely

American  

[wahyd-lee] / ˈwaɪd li /

adverb

1. to a wide extent.

2. over a wide space or area.

   a widely distributed plant.

3. by or among a large number of persons.

   a widely known artist.

4. in many or various subjects, cases, etc..

   to be widely read.

5. greatly, very much, or very.

   widely differing accounts of an event.

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Etymology

Origin of widely

First recorded in 1655–65; wide + -ly

Example Sentences

Or maybe not so incipiently, according to maritime analyst John Konrad, in his widely read essay partly titled, “What If the U.S. Navy isn’t in a Hurry to Reopen the Strait?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

These personnel are highly trained as both combatants and paramedics, and go through what is widely considered one of the hardest selection and training pipelines in the US military.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The suspects have not been formally named, but their names were widely circulated by Greek media.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

That’s in contrast to the widely followed S&P 500 index, which declined.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

To Cartesians, Newton’s theory of gravity made no sense; but in England, where Cartesianism had never been adopted without reservations, and where arguments from design were widely accepted, resistance to the theory was much weaker.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• broadly
• commonly
• generally
• universally