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.

---

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

---

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

That breadth is also what makes the movement politically distinctive.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Market breadth is poor — both breadth oscillators remain on sell signals.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

“The market is underestimating the breadth of XPeng’s AI ambitions but could be overestimating how quickly this can translate into earnings,” Hsiao said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

With its exhaustive narrative breadth and action set pieces that only a budget of a cool $250 million could afford, the fact that “The Odyssey” exists at all is intended to feel like a miracle.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 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

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

Two breadths of Turkish tapestry hung down over the doorway of the reception-room, thus obscuring its interior.

From An Ambitious Woman A Novel by Fawcett, Edgar

They are markedly smaller in every measurement taken, except zygomatic and mastoidal breadths, and extension of premaxillae posterior to nasals.

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

Two breadths of blue cloth divided by one of yellow, would produce a blazonable coat, ‘Azure, a pale or.’

From The Curiosities of Heraldry by Lower, Mark Antony

Related Words

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