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

On top of that, science has advanced so far since the days of Newton that it’s hard for a single inventor to have enough breadth and depth of knowledge to work alone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

A wide array of stocks rallying in the index doesn’t mean the S&P 500 will necessarily perform better, yet investors tend to point to strong breadth as a “healthy sign” for the market, Parker cautioned.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

A ruling at the Supreme Court in August limited the breadth of these cases, which otherwise could have extended to tens of billions of pounds.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Some of that breadth is seen at the beginning in some astonishing newsreel footage from the era, which segues into Jacir’s establishing story threads.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

But then a great crack exploded a hand’s breadth from my head.

From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi

Related Words

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