breadth

American  

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

noun

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

• breadthless
  adjective

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

“There’s so much stuff in the show, so many different bands represented, so much breadth of works,” says Worthington.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

The Interior Department said that as the 250th anniversary approaches on July 4, the administration is committed to "acknowledging the full breadth of our nation's history."

From Barron's • May 17, 2026

But what was shocking was the breadth of the legal rationale used to justify the orders.

From Slate • May 15, 2026

“With nearly 2.6 million subscribers across a diverse breadth of specialties, we have the scale to invest in technology and operations to leverage our closed-loop ecosystem,” Okupe said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Outsourcing news bulletins to India also allows Reuters to extend the breadth of its reporting to more small-cap companies, companies it was not cost-efficient for Reuters to follow before with higher-paid journalists in New York.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Related Words

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