broad
broad Lexical Profile
broad Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Covering a large number and wide scope of subjects or areas; comprehensive.
"The university curriculum offers students a broad education in the liberal arts and sciences."
Having an ample distance from side to side; wide.
"A broad avenue lined with oak trees led up to the historic courthouse."
Stated in general terms without specific details.
"The committee reached a broad agreement on the budget before ironing out the specific allocations."
Clear, full, and unmistakable, or openly expressed without subtlety.
"The jewel heist took place in broad daylight right in the middle of the shopping district."
Pronounced with a strong, noticeable regional accent or dialect.
"He spoke with a broad Yorkshire accent that charmed everyone at the dinner table."
• noun
British A wide, shallow expanse of fresh water formed by the widening of a river, especially in the low-lying marshland region of Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England.
North American A woman (dated slang, often considered offensive).
"In classic hard-boiled detective novels of the 1940s, the protagonist often referred to a female client as a tough broad."
• adverb
Completely, fully, or openly (used chiefly before 'awake').
"By six o'clock in the morning, the children were broad awake and ready to play."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'broad' and 'wide' both describe physical distance from side to side, 'broad' often emphasizes the overall expanse or surface area itself (as in 'broad shoulders' or 'broad plains'), whereas 'wide' focuses on the gap or measurement between edges (as in 'a wide doorway' or 'wide-open eyes'). As a noun meaning a woman, 'broad' is dated American slang and is widely regarded as derogatory or offensive.
• Rhymes for broad
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'brad', meaning wide, not narrow, flat, or open, ultimately deriving from Proto-Germanic '*braidi-'.