broadly

American  

[brawd-lee] / ˈbrɔd li /

adverb

1. across a wide area.

   Seismologists say the earthquake was broadly felt because the hard granite in the area of the epicenter strongly conducts ground motion.

2. to a great extent; widely.

   Which of these principles and values do you think are the most broadly shared by your neighbors?

3. to a similar extent; generally.

   Production is expected to be broadly in line with last year’s, setting us up for another record harvest.

4. in a widely diffused or bright manner.

   The curtains opened, revealing several characters milling about on a broadly lit stage.

5. in a way that is not limited, narrow, or overly specific.

   Network-connected computers are broadly categorized as either servers or workstations.

6. in a plain, clear, or bold manner.

   She knew immediately that the broadly scrawled handwriting on the note was her brother’s.

   Most of the people in these photographs are grinning broadly and looking directly into the camera.

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Etymology

Origin of broadly

broad ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

The adverb broadly is useful for describing something that's done in a general or approximate way. If you're broadly describing your new job, you're giving just the basic idea of it and leaving out the details. You're likely to see the word broadly within the phrase "broadly speaking." People often say this to mean "in general" or "on average." The word can also be used in a more literal way to mean "widely," as when you say, "The teacher seemed a little scary until she smiled broadly and welcomed them to class."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

broadly

So long as the premium is broadly stable, it’s fine to buy the ADR, because the premium should still be there when you come to sell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Management broadly painted an optimistic view of next year, when it expects that companies and governments will look to replenish their inventories and solidify new supply connections as the war reshapes energy markets.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Wall Street opened broadly stable, with the Nasdaq Composite dipping 0.1 percent as tech stocks continued to struggle.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Repsol has no assets in the Middle East, and so has seen production broadly unaffected by the war this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Elizabeth hugs me, grinning broadly, and I try to grin back.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

• commonly
• customarily
• largely
• mostly
• normally
• ordinarily
• publicly
• roughly
• typically
• universally
• usually
• widely