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

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widespread British  

/ ˈwaɪdˌsprɛd /

adjective

1. extending over a wide area

2. accepted by or occurring among many people

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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

Here, companies are offering good news despite rising energy prices and widespread worries about economic growth.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

They come with an extensive super charging network and widespread service centers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The “Moneyball” approach, detailed in a 2003 book, led to widespread adoption of data-driven decision-making across various industries, transcending sports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Still, for the oil shock’s impact to prove persistent and become more widespread within the U.S. economy, it would need to become embedded in consumers’ expectations around inflation—and that doesn’t appear likely.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

Could the Khoisan, too, have been originally more widespread until their more northerly populations were somehow eliminated?

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond