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Meaning & use

broad

adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/brɔːd/
US/brɔːd/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Large from one side to the other; wide.

    Grammar: Goes before a noun or after be: a broad river; the road is broad.

    Patterns

    • broad in something
    • two meters broad

    The river is broad and slow near the sea.

    He had broad shoulders from years of rowing.

    The path widens into a broad avenue.

  2. adjectivecomparable

    Covering a wide range of people, topics or things instead of being limited to a few.

    Grammar: Typically before a noun and often figurative: broad support, broad knowledge.

    Patterns

    • a broad range of something
    • a broad view of something

    The party has broad support across the country.

    The course gives students a broad introduction to economics.

    She has broad interests, from chess to geology.

  3. adjectivebefore a noun

    General and not detailed, giving the main points but not the specifics.

    Grammar: Used before a noun: a broad outline, broad terms.

    Patterns

    • in broad terms
    • a broad outline

    I will give you a broad outline of the plan.

    In broad terms, the two proposals are similar.

    They reached broad agreement on the main issues.

  4. adjectivebefore a noun

    Describing a strong, noticeable accent, or humor that is obvious and not subtle.

    Grammar: Used before a noun: a broad accent, broad humor.

    Patterns

    • a broad accent

    He spoke with a broad Scottish accent.

    The show relied on broad humor and slapstick.

    She gave him a broad hint that it was time to leave.

Word forms

comparativebroader
superlativebroadest

Common combinations

broad range
The store sells a broad range of tools.
broad daylight
The theft happened in broad daylight.
broad smile
He greeted us with a broad smile.
broad shoulders
Her broad shoulders made the coat look small.
broad terms
In broad terms, sales rose last year.
broad-minded
My teacher was broad-minded about different opinions.

Synonyms and how they differ

wide
Wide is the common everyday word for physical width, while broad is slightly more formal and also works figuratively.
extensive
Extensive stresses large size or range, whereas broad stresses range and variety.
general
General means not specific, while broad also allows the idea of wide coverage.
comprehensive
Comprehensive means including everything needed, while broad only means covering a lot.

Opposites

narrowlimitedspecific

Word family

broaden verb
to make or become wider
broadly adverb
in a general way
breadth noun
width or range
broadness noun
the state of being broad
broadcast verb
to send out over a wide area

Commonly confused: broad or wide?

broad vs wide

Wide is more common for measurement (three meters wide), but broad is preferred in fixed phrases like broad daylight and broad range.

Practice

The robbery took place in ______ daylight, in front of dozens of shoppers.

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