breadth

American  

[bredth, bretth, breth] / brɛdθ, brɛtθ, brɛθ /

noun

• breadths
  plural

1. the measure of the second largest dimension of a plane or solid figure; width.

2. an extent or piece of something of definite or full width or as measured by its width.

   a breadth of cloth.

3. freedom from narrowness or restraint; liberality.

   a person with great breadth of view.

   Synonyms:

   open-mindedness, impartiality, latitude

4. size in general; extent.

   Synonyms:

   compass, reach, range, scope, span

5. Art. a broad or general effect due to subordination of details or nonessentials.

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breadth British  

/ brɛtθ, brɛdθ /

noun

1. the linear extent or measurement of something from side to side; width

2. a piece of fabric having a standard or definite width

3. distance, extent, size, or dimension

4. openness and lack of restriction, esp of viewpoint or interest; liberality

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• breadthless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• breadths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of breadth

1515–25; earlier bredeth, equivalent to brede breadth ( Middle English; Old English brǣdu, equivalent to brǣd-, mutated variant of brād broad + -u noun suffix) + -th ¹ ( def. ) akin to German Breite, Gothic braidei

Explanation

If you measure the distance of an object from side to side, you are measuring the object’s breadth: “Theodore measured the breadth of the table before buying it to make sure it would fit in his small kitchen.” Breadth often refers to a physical measurement, but it can also be used to describe comprehensiveness or largeness of any kind, such as breadth of knowledge or breadth of experience. In the famous sentence describing Macedonian king Alexander the Great, the word breadth is used to indicate the vastness of Alexander’s empire: “When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

breadth breadths

Scott’s career has swept the breadth of genres.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

He argued that AI will soon also affect blue-collar work, and the breadth and speed make it different from other workplace transitions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The unresolved trade issues between the two sides, a list that is almost comical in both its breadth and specificity, suggests why Ford has so much pull.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

Some in Labour were unhappy when Lennon didn't make the ballot for this contesting, lamenting a lack of breadth in the contest.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

But in spite of his immense wisdom and his mysterious breadth, he had a human burden, an earthly condition that kept him involved in the small problems of daily life.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

John B. Read’s lighting now makes less marvelous effects from the depths and breadths of the Met stage.

From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2014

Meg, who went shopping in the afternoon and got a ‘sweet blue muslin’, had discovered, after she had cut the breadths off, that it wouldn’t wash, which mishap made her slightly cross.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Skull: Long and slender; rostrum long and narrow; zygomatic and mastoidal breadths slight; palatal pits deep; upper incisors narrow; basioccipital wide.

From The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah, Vol. 1 No. 1 Kansas University Publications. by Stephen D. Durrant

So huge is the mosque that the eyes are deceived within it, and can no longer measure heights or breadths with accuracy.

From The Near East Dalmatia, Greece and Constantinople by Robert (Robert Smythe) Hichens

I've searched all lengths and breadths but this.

From Pierre; or The Ambiguities by Herman Melville

Related Words

• comprehensiveness
• dimension
• fullness
• magnitude
• range
• scale
• scope
• size