widespread
Existing or happening over a large area or among many people; extensive.
readingwriting-task-2speakingHealthGovernment and societyEnvironment
IELTS use
Describes the extent of a problem, phenomenon, or trend in essays and speaking.
Examples
- There is widespread concern about the cost of living.
- The use of smartphones is widespread among teenagers.
Collocations
- widespread use
- There is widespread use of renewable energy in Scandinavia.
Word family
- Adjective
- widespread
Paraphrases
- prevalent: More formal, common in academic writing.
- common: Less formal, broader meaning.
- pervasive: Often implies something negative spreading thoroughly.
Common mistakes
- widespreaded to widespread. 'Widespread' is already an adjective; no -ed.
- a widespread of the disease to the widespread nature of the disease or the disease is widespread. 'Widespread' is an adjective, not a noun.