extensive
Americanadjective
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an extensive area.
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covering or extending over a great area.
extensive travels.
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far-reaching; comprehensive; thorough.
extensive knowledge.
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an extensive journey.
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great in amount, number, or degree.
an extensive fortune; extensive political influence.
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of or having extension.
Space is extensive, time durational.
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noting or pertaining to a system of agriculture involving the use or cultivation of large areas of land with a minimum of labor and expense (intensive ).
adjective
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having a large extent, area, scope, degree, etc; vast
extensive deserts
an extensive inheritance
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widespread
extensive coverage in the press
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agriculture involving or farmed with minimum expenditure of capital or labour, esp depending on a large area of land Compare intensive
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physics of or relating to a property, measurement, etc, of a macroscopic system that is proportional to the size of the system Compare intensive
heat is an extensive property
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logic
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of or relating to logical extension
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(of a definition) in terms of the objects to which the term applies rather than its meaning
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Other Word Forms
- extensively adverb
- extensiveness noun
- extensivity noun
- nonextensive adjective
- nonextensiveness noun
- preextensive adjective
Etymology
Origin of extensive
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin extēnsīvus, equivalent to Latin extēns(us) (past participle of extendere “to stretch out”) + -īvus adjective suffix; extend, -ive
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.
Beneath the open grasslands and shallow waters lie the remains of extensive earthworks, raised agricultural fields, and interconnected canals that reflect a long history of people adapting to a dynamic environment.
From Science Daily
The movie likely benefited from its strong franchise recognition in China — Disney opened a “Zootopia”-themed land at Shanghai Disneyland in 2023 and embarked on an extensive marketing campaign before the film’s release.
From Los Angeles Times
New York City was badly affected, with extensive looting, and was under curfew for a week in June.
The team examined 70 products, including both imported and locally produced items, creating what they describe as the most extensive investigation in the country to date on chemical contamination in toys.
From Science Daily
However, AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the US after the military withdrawal, said they had undergone "some of the most extensive security vetting" of any migrants.
From Barron's
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.