widespread - Master This Word

widespread Word Meanings

• existing or happening in many places or among many people
• distributed over a large area
• commonly accepted or practiced

widespread Example Sentences

Example sentences are the start of understanding. Don't rush to memorize. First feel how the word works in a sentence.

• The protest against the law was widespread.
• Widespread use of smartphones is common today.
• There is widespread support for the new park.
• The problem of pollution is widespread in many cities.
• Widespread news spread quickly around the town.

widespread Word Etymology

wide = broad + spread = extend over an area. Historical origin: Old English → Middle English → Modern English. Memory image: Imagine a wide river flowing freely, spreading out over the landscape, symbolizing abundance and dissemination.

English Brain Route

I move my finger across the map, sliding from a single neighborhood toward the wider grid. As I adjust my angle, dots light up in more spots, one by one. I feel the effort to keep track, to shift focus from a single point to a web that stretches farther. The sense grows that what I’m tracing is widespread, touching many places and people, a pattern I can carry into conversation.

Real Context

Widespread describes something that exists or occurs in many places or among many people, or that is distributed over a large area. It can refer to natural phenomena, technology, or social patterns that have spread broadly. Things can be described as widespread when they are common across regions, demographics, or sectors, or when a belief, practice, or trend is accepted by a large portion of a population. The word can appear before a noun, as in widespread adoption, widespread poverty, or widespread support. Etymology notes: it comes from wide meaning broad and spread meaning to extend over an area; the form evolved from Old English through Middle English to Modern English. Memory image: a wide river flowing across the landscape, signaling abundance and dissemination.

Usage Reminders

• 1) Use before a noun: widespread belief, widespread adoption.2) It can describe positive or negative things.3) Do not hyphenate as wide-spread in modern English.4) Common collocations: disease, rainfall, poverty, support, adoption, usage.5) You can say 'across many regions' to emphasize breadth.6) Predicative use: 'Poverty is widespread' is natural.

Common Misconceptions

• It always means something positive; it can describe negative things too.
• It describes physical distance only, not distribution across people or groups.
• It must be hyphenated as wide-spread in modern usage.
• It is interchangeable with 'widely spread' in all contexts.
• It can be used as a noun or adverb.

Thinking Differences

English speakers often use widespread before a noun to show breadth (e. g., widespread support). Learners may say 'widely spread' or place it after a verb, which sounds awkward. The concept is not just physical distance; it's distribution across people or places.

Learning Tips

• 1) Remember to place widespread before the noun (widespread belief).
• 2) Distinguish from 'widely spread' or 'wide-spread' by using the fixed form widespread.
• 3) Learn common collocations: widespread support, adoption, disease, rainfall, poverty.
• 4) Use with 'across' or 'across many regions' to show breadth.
• 5) Recognize it can be neutral, positive, or negative.
• 6) Practice predicative use: 'Poverty is widespread.'

5-Step Learning Method - Learn English in English

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