widespread

American  

[wahyd-spred] / ˈwaɪdˈsprɛd /

adjective

1. spread over or open, or occupying a wide space.

2. distributed over a wide region, or occurring in many places or among many persons or individuals.

   widespread poverty.

   Synonyms:

   far-flung, pervasive, extensive, far-reaching

---

widespread British  

/ ˈwaɪdˌsprɛd /

adjective

1. extending over a wide area

2. accepted by or occurring among many people

---

Etymology

Origin of widespread

First recorded in 1695–1705; wide + spread

Explanation

Widespread means far-reaching. For years, email was used only by computer programmers and technophiles. It was hard to imagine, back then, how widespread the phenomenon of digital communication would become. An idea that's widespread, is believed by many people, even if it's not true. A person such as Oprah, Gandhi, or Beyoncé, who has widespread popularity, is loved by many far and wide. A widespread disease is one that many people have — the flu epidemic of 1919 was deadly and widespread.

Example Sentences

That’s one thing all of us humans should be able to agree on: more widespread illness and death is bad for the economy and uh, our mental health.

From Salon • May 11, 2026

Their implication was that the public vote result was less a reflection of widespread public support for Raphael, and more the product of some people voting for Israel as many times as they could.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

LyondellBassell’s spiked above 100% in late 2024, before the company started posting quarterly losses in 2025, sparking widespread concern a cut was imminent.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

That is holding back investment and hiring plans, though the country hasn’t seen widespread layoffs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

The problem was woven into every aspect of family life, from the high price of fresh fruits to widespread cuts in funding for sports and rec programs in public schools.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama