WIDELY Synonyms: 19 Similar and Opposite Words

widely

adverb

Definition of widely

as in universally

across a large area, group, or range Originally invented in the United States, baseball is now a widely played sport around the world.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of widely Schulz encouraged borrowers to seek quotes from different lenders, as offers can vary widely. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 The Donalds‘ vision for Florida students includes overhauling the state’s grading system for schools and opening the doors to Florida’s education system more widely to private enterprise. — Kairi Lowery, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026 Marnik’s views are widely shared among public health communicators. — Felice J. Freyer, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026 Yet experts say these snakes are widely misunderstood, and some common attempts to deal with them can be ineffective or even make the situation worse. — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for widely

Recent Examples of Synonyms for widely

Adverb

That’s fair enough, especially since, as the rest of the episode proves, Boyle is pretty universally known in Great Britain.

— Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
But charisma is context-dependent rather than universally advantageous.

— Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of universally

Adverb

Such opponents broadly claim surrogacy treats a fetus as a product rather than a person.

— Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
While renewable generation costs are broadly competitive, consumers ultimately bear the burden of financing costs, transmission and distribution losses, taxes, and foreign exchange movements.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of broadly

Adverb

Ken Dychtwald, a psychologist who's written extensively about the golden years, says with more than 80 million Americans now over the age of 65, expect to see a lot more of these luxury senior communities.

— Itay Hod, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Steam catapults have the enormous advantage of being mature and extensively understood.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of extensively

Browse Nearby Words

wide-eyed

widely

widemouthed

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Style

“Widely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widely. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of widely

adverb

Example Sentences

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