Widespread

Definition

"Widespread" refers to something that is found or distributed over a large area or among many people.

Parts of Speech

• Adjective

Pronunciation

American English

• IPA Pronunciation: /ˈwaɪdˌsprɛd/
• Respelling: WYDE-spred

British English

• IPA Pronunciation: /ˈwaɪdˌsprɛd/
• Respelling: WYDE-spred

In both American and British English, "widespread" is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable. It features a long "y" sound as in "my" in the first syllable, followed by a short "e" sound as in "bed" in the second syllable. The pronunciation is essentially the same in both versions of English.

Etymology

"Widespread" is a compound word formed from "wide", meaning "of great extent" from Old English "wīd", and "spread", from Old English "sprǣdan", meaning "to extend, stretch out". Together, they emphasize distribution or prevalence over a large area.

Derivatives

• Widespreadness
• Widespreadly
• Spread
• Wide
• Wider

Synonyms

• Prevalent
• Pervasive
• Ubiquitous

Antonyms

• Limited
• Restricted
• Isolated

Usage

"Widespread" is commonly used to describe the extensive distribution or prevalence of certain phenomena, either physically, like a species or a substance, or abstractly, like ideas or diseases.

Related Terms

• Common
• Universal
• General
• Everywhere
• Throughout

Detailed Definition

Adjective

• Distributed over a wide region, or affecting a large number of people or a large area.‍
• Example: There was widespread panic when the news broke out.

• Existing or happening in many places and/or among many people.‍
• Example: The use of smartphones is widespread among teenagers.