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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Widespread: Definition, Usage & Common Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：prevalent (widespread)

widespread 🔊

/ˈwaɪdspred/

adj.

Existing or happening in many places or among many people.

Widespread concept illustrated by a map with glowing icons evenly distributed across all regions.

prevalent 🔊

➕

/ˈprevələnt/

adj.

Describes something that is common, found, or occurring over a large area or among many people.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Compound of 'wide' (broad) + 'spread' (extended). Literally 'spread out widely'.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine news spreading WIDEly and being SPREAD far and wide across a map.

📖 Example

With the invention of affordable smartphones, their use has become widespread even among young students. 🔊 The availability of low-cost smartphones has made their use prevalent even among schoolchildren.

🔗 Collocations

widespread use – Common or extensive application of something.

widespread belief – An opinion or conviction held by a large number of people.

widespread acceptance – General agreement or approval from a broad group.

🔄 Synonyms

common (adj.) – Occurring, found, or done often; not rare.

prevalent (adj.) – Widespread in a particular area or at a particular time.

extensive (adj.) – Covering or affecting a large area.

🚫 Antonyms

localized (adj.) – Restricted to a particular place or part.

limited (adj.) – Restricted in size, amount, or extent.

uncommon (adj.) – Not occurring or found often; rare.

🌱 Derivatives

widespreadly (adv.) – In a widespread manner.

📖 Cultural Story

The term originates from the straightforward combination of 'wide' (from Old English wīd) and the past participle 'spread' (from Middle English spreden). It evolved in the 1700s to describe phenomena dispersed across a broad geographical or social area.

Meaning 2：extensive (widespread)

widespread 🔊

/ˈwaɪdspred/

adj.

Spread out over a large area or reaching a large number of people.

Widespread information flow shown by a grid of smartphone screens sharing the same headline.

extensive 🔊

➕

/ɪkˈstensɪv/

adj.

Describes something that is broadly distributed, covering a large area or affecting a great number of people.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

News of the community's successful tree-planting project spread quickly and gained widespread attention on social media. 🔊 Information about the neighborhood's effective tree-planting initiative disseminated rapidly and received extensive attention on social platforms.

🔗 Collocations

widespread attention – Interest or notice from a large and diverse audience.

widespread support – Backing or approval from a broad base of people.

widespread panic – Sudden, overwhelming fear affecting a large population.

🔄 Synonyms

far-reaching (adj.) – Having a wide range, influence, or effect.

comprehensive (adj.) – Including or dealing with all or nearly all elements of something.

sweeping (adj.) – Extending or affecting a wide area or large number of things.

🚫 Antonyms

narrow (adj.) – Limited in extent, amount, or scope.

restricted (adj.) – Limited in extent, number, scope, or action.

selective (adj.) – Relating to or involving the selection of the most suitable.

🌱 Derivatives

widespreadness (n.) – The state or quality of being widespread.