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

He praised her "breadth of knowledge and passion" and called her "the ultimate breaker of the glass ceiling", adding: "She will be greatly missed and my sincere thoughts are with her family."

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

What stood out in this speech was its breadth.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

“If those pressures ease, breadth can catch up and drive the market higher,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Ultimately, narrow breadth may not matter all that much to investors in diversified index funds.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026

Hearing him come, Odysseus’ son pulled on his snowy tunic over the skin, gathered his long cape about his breadth of shoulder like a captain, the heir of King Odysseus.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

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

The breadths of satin are put together so that the stripes meet in points at the seams.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. V, October, 1850, Volume I. by

But time went on and on, for seven lengths and seven breadths, and yet he did not come back.

From Tales from the Fjeld A Second Series of Popular Tales by P. Chr. Asbj?rnsen

As the width of the materials, of which a bathing gown is made, varies, it is impossible to say of how many breadths it should consist.

From Women's Bathing and Swimming Costume in the United States by Claudia B. Kidwell

Related Words

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