broad en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /bɹɔːd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /bɾɔd/ (Scotland)
- /bɹɒd/ (Canada)
- /bɹoːd/ (Australia, British, New-Zealand, Southern, Standard)
- /bɾɔːd/ (Wales)
- /broɖ/ (South-Asia) spelling pronunciation
- /bɹɑd/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American, cot-caught-merger)
- /bɹɔd/ (General-American) without the cot–caught merger
- (California) audio
- /brɔɖ/ (South-Asia)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-der.? Proto-Germanic *braidaz Proto-West Germanic *braid Old English brād Middle English brod English broad From Middle English brood, brode, from Old English brād (“broad, flat, open, extended, spacious, wide, ample, copious”), from Proto-West Germanic *braid, from Proto-Germanic *braidaz (“broad, wide”), of uncertain origin. Cognates Cognate with Yola brode (“broad”), North Frisian bread, breeđ, briad, briid, briidj (“wide”), Saterland Frisian and West Frisian breed (“broad, wide”), Bavarian brad, broad (“broad, wide”), Central Franconian and Luxembourgish breet (“broad, wide”), Dutch breed (“broad, wide”), German breit (“broad, wide”), Vilamovian braat (“broad, wide”), Yiddish ברייט (breyt, “broad, wide”), Danish and Swedish bred (“broad, wide”), Faroese and Icelandic breiður (“broad, wide”), Norwegian Bokmål bred, brei (“broad, wide”), Norwegian Nynorsk brei, breid (“broad, wide”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 (braiþs, “broad, wide”).
Meanings
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Wide in extent or scope.
Julia Farrington, head of arts at Index on Censorship, argues that extra powers to ban violent videos online will "end up too broad and open to misapplication, which would damage freedom of expression".
2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 08 May 2025:the broad expanse of ocean
To meet it, pro-democracy organizations, universities and law firms must bravely speak up against abuses of power while building the broadest possible coalition to stand up for fundamental rights.
2025 November 16, Daniel Altschuler, Javier Corrales, “How government repression is born – and how to resist it”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 24 Dec 2025:three feet broad
Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:The criterion for positivity was determined for each antigen of each species applying a mixture model to the PP data which assumed two inherent Gaussian distributions: a narrow distribution or seronegatives, and a broader distribution of seropositives.
2015 September 11, “Hotspots of Malaria Transmission in the Peruvian Amazon: Rapid Assessment through a Parasitological and Serological Survey”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI, archived from the original on 12 Mar 2024:Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […] But the scandals kept coming, and so we entered stage three – what therapists call "bargaining". A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.
2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, archived from the original on 11 May 2025, page 21:Thus Falstaff, in Shakspeare, is a character of the broadest comedy, giving himself unreservedly to the senses, coolly ignoring the Reason, whilst he invokes its name, pretending to patriotism and to parental virtues, not with any intent to deceive, but only to make the fun perfect by enjoying the confusion betwixt reason and the negation of reason,—in other words, the rank rascaldom he is calling by its name.
1870, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The Comic”, in Letters and Social Aims (The Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson; VIII), Boston; New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Company, published 1903, page 130:
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Extended, in the sense of diffused; open; clear; full.
broad and open day
1720, William Bartlet, a sermon:crushing the minds of its victims in the broad and open day
May 12, 1860, Eliza Watson, Witches and witchcraft (in Once A Week, No. 46.)
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Having a large measure of any thing or quality; unlimited; unrestrained.
a broad mixture of falsehood
1693, [John Locke], “§140”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:
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Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged.
in a broad, statesmanlike, and masterly way
1859, Edward Everett, Daniel Webster: An Oration On the Occasion of the Dedication of the Statue of Mr. Webster,:The words in the Constitution are broad enough to include the case.
1819, D. Daggett, Sturges v. Crowninshield:
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Plain; evident.
a broad hint
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General rather than specific.
to be in broad agreement
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Unsubtle; obvious.
Lee: I wrote that line for you. Maeve: A bit broad, if you ask me.
2018 April 22, “Journey into Night” (39:17 from the start), in Westworld, season 2, episode 1, spoken by Maeve Millay and Lee Sizemore (Thandie Newton and Simon Quarterman), via HBO:
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Free; unrestrained; unconfined.
as broad and general as the casing air
c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:
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(dated) Gross; coarse; indelicate.
a broad compliment; a broad joke; broad humour
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(of an accent) Strongly regional.
She still has a broad Scottish accent, despite moving to California 20 years ago.
- (qualifier:Gaelic languages) Velarized, i.e. not palatalized.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| broader | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| broadest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
slender (antonym(s) of “not palatalized”) · narrow (antonym(s) of “wide—regarding occupied space, width of an object”) · thin (antonym(s) of “wide—regarding occupied space, width of an object”) · all-encompassing (antonym(s) of) · skinny (antonym(s) of “wide—regarding body width”)
Deriveds
paint with a broad brush (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad cooper (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad acres (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad church (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad tape (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad across the beam (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-gauge (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad antigen (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad ligament (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad sword (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadbrimmed (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · Broad Brook (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-leaved garlic (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadway (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · in broad daylight (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad transcription (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad gauge (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad seal (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · breadth (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad and shallow (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadwise (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadleaf (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadloom (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadsheet (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-reaching (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadsword (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadcloth (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad hint (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-mindedness (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadside (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadish (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad arrow (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad reach (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadcast (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad arrowhead (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-ranging (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-billed sandpiper (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadaxe (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadpiece (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · overbroad (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-billed parrot (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-spectrum (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadband (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadshare (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-leaf (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · Broad Peak (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-based (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad shoulders (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-spectrum antibiotic (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · midbroad (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · Broadmoor (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-winged hawk (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadspreading (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · Broadway (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad whitefish (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-minded (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadness (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-nosed weevil (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad daylight (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadhead (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadspread (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadseal (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadbrim (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadtail (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-leaved (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-billed moa (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · Broad Green (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad bean (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadacre (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-leaved epiphyllum (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · Broad Street (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad money (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · ultrabroad (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-beamed (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadmouth (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-leaved ragwort (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad strokes (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · not be able to hit the broad side of a barn (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · as broad as long (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · abroad (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · Broad Town (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad mite (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-mouthed (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-headed bug (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-billed flycatcher (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadbill (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · Broad Haven (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad jump (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadscale (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadwing (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-mindedly (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · Broadclyst (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-snouted caiman (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-brush (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad brush (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadly (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broadline (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broaden (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-brusher (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · Broad Chalke (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad-shouldered (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad awake (Terms derived from broad (adjective)) · broad in the beam (Terms derived from broad (adjective))
Relateds
Translations (24)
fr fort (strongly regional) · pl gwarowy (strongly regional) · gd a leud (having a specified width) · fr large (having a specified width) · ko 폭(幅)이…인 (having a specified width) · pt largo (having a specified width) · ru в ширину́ (having a specified width) · ko 노골적(露骨的)인 (strongly regional) · ka ვრცელი (having a specified width) · cs široký (having a specified width) · nl breed (having a specified width) · mk широк (having a specified width) · de breit (having a specified width) · sv bred (having a specified width) · sv bred (strongly regional) · pdt breet (having a specified width) · pl szeroki (having a specified width) · la latus (having a specified width) · fi leveä (strongly regional) · bg широк (having a specified width) · ja 訛り丸出しの (strongly regional) · fi leveä (having a specified width) · ko 강(強)한 (strongly regional) · ja 幅が…ある (having a specified width)