expansive
Americanadjective
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having a wide range or extent; comprehensive; extensive.
expansive mountain scenery.
-
(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.
-
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.
"Don't be expecting this mad expansive style of free-for-all but we're going to put some stuff in there that we've not done previously."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Inside, soaring ceilings and an expansive floor plan create an airy atmosphere, while coastal-inspired furnishings complement the home’s enviable location.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The resulting trafficking network is more diffuse and expansive than before the missile strikes from drones and aircraft began.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Paul Nolette, a Marquette University political science professor who studies attorneys general, said that the role has become more expansive in recent years as states increasingly collaborate on big lawsuits.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
And on the subject of love, a woman was verbally expansive.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
