expansive
Americanadjective
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having a wide range or extent; comprehensive; extensive.
expansive mountain scenery.
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(of a person's character or speech) effusive, unrestrained, free, or open.
Our expansive host welcomed us warmly.
- Synonyms:
- gushing, gushy, unreserved, genial, outgoing, extroverted, sociable
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causing expansion.
the expansive force of heat.
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working by expansion, as an engine.
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Psychiatry. marked by an abnormal euphoric state and by delusions of grandeur.
adjective
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able or tending to expand or characterized by expansion
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wide; extensive
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friendly, open, or talkative
an expansive person
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grand or extravagant
an expansive way of life
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psychiatry lacking restraint in the expression of feelings, esp in having delusions of grandeur or being inclined to overvalue oneself or one's work
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of expansive
First recorded in 1645–55; expans(ion) + -ive
Explanation
Expansive is all about being able to grow or get larger. An expansive piece of land is large, an expansive mind is one that is always thinking of the big picture, an expansive vocabulary is one that holds lots of words. Warning: don't confuse expansive, "large," with expensive, "high priced." They differ by only one letter but mean very different things. A Big Mac may contain what McDonald's advertizes as an expansive all-beef patty, but it isn't expensive food.
Vocabulary lists containing expansive
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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This Week in Pop Culture: November 3 - 9, 2018
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Vocabulary from "John L. O'Sullivan on 'Manifest Destiny' " from 1839
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The property spans 10,823 square feet and features a grand foyer with black marble columns, an expansive hallway, and a chic fireplace.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
To compile our expansive list we surveyed more than 200 bookish luminaries — along with a few zealous book club members.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Flags were lowered at government buildings across Beijing on Tuesday, AFP journalists saw, as well as on Tiananmen Square, the expansive and highly securitised site in the capital city's centre.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Rec centers were revamped with climbing walls and lazy rivers; dorms gave way to apartment lofts with expansive lounges; campus coffee bars were established with national brands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Hillside advertised in the Norfolk Journal and Guide, the Pittsburgh Courier, and Ebony; with its swimming pool and expansive 109-acre estate, it delivered on its promise of understated luxury.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
