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expansive

expansive

26 5.4
Very large and wide, often used for places or plans
  • adjective
  • /ɪkˈspænsɪv/
translation icon : amplio
  • With its expansive gardens and beautiful architecture, the estate attracted many visitors each year.
  • an expansive view
  • an expansive agenda
  • expansive policies

But the impact you can make is expansive.

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Examples

  • The fact is we implemented generally expansive policies, and we got back to full employment.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Lupovich looks around the expansive office and paws the photos and knickknacks on Jeremiah's desk.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • It's also an expansive definition of strength.

  • The countries that showed the largest export growth to the rest of the world were countries with expansive trade agreements.

  • And I think Penn is right to try to understand a more expansive view of what is meant by the idea of prayer.

  • The Music Instinct, a new book by Philip Ball, offers an expansive overview of music's fundamental properties and values.

    Academic text (2011)
  • It's a strictly kosher dining hall, and yet it's also a very expansive space that does not feel particularly parochial.

  • Tremaine put his hand on Prue's back and gently urged her toward the expansive library beyond the foyer.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The conference featured an expansive discussion on climate change that covered various global perspectives.

  • The artist is known for her expansive style, which incorporates elements from multiple disciplines and cultures.

Synonyms

large
vsexpansive
1.0

Bigger than average in size, number, or amount

carries extra sense of broad coverage or ambitious overall plan
huge
vsexpansive
1.0

Very large in size, amount, or degree

emphasizes wide coverage and impressive ambition beyond sheer size
wide
vsexpansive
1.0

Large in size, amount, or range

adds an element of impressive ambition or large scale
massive
vsexpansive
940 2.9

Very large and impressive in scale

is more about wide area and ambitious scope than sheer force
grand
vsexpansive
918 3.0

Impressive and large in appearance or style

adds the idea of covering wide area or ambitious scope
enormous
vsexpansive
842 2.1

Very large in size, amount, or effect

adds a sense of ambitious scale or impressive breadth
vast
vsexpansive
721 2.1

Very large in size or amount

combines that immensity with an element of impressive ambition
extensive
vsexpansive
330 4.1

Large in amount, range, or area

adds an ambitious or impressive sense beyond simple coverage
broad
vsexpansive
224 1.0

Wide from one side to the other

can imply ambitious or impressive scope beyond simple width
immense
vsexpansive
141 3.7

Very large in size, amount, or degree

adds an emphasis on ambitious reach and wide coverage
gigantic
vsexpansive
139 3.2

Very large, much bigger than normal

brings in added sense of wide coverage and ambitious scope
large-scale
vsexpansive
65 3.8

Very large and affecting many people or places

also conveys an impressive or ambitious overall aim
full-scale
vsexpansive
49 4.1

Complete and using all available resources

is broader, meaning wide or ambitious without resource emphasis
spacious
vsexpansive
45 2.5

A large open room or area with plenty of space

is less about interior room and more about broad impressive scale
far-reaching
vsexpansive
34 5.0

Having a big effect on many people or things

focuses more on physical or ambitious breadth than on influence
boundless
vsexpansive
27 5.0

Having no limit in size or amount

keeps openness but adds intentional impressive scale and wide coverage
wide-ranging
vsexpansive
23 4.1

Covering many different subjects or areas

stretches that idea to physical breadth and ambitious scale
gargantuan
vsexpansive
19 7.3

Very large, much bigger than usual

shifts meaning toward breadth and impressive, ambitious scale
heroic
vsexpansive
7 4.2

Is very large and impressive in size or purpose

keeps that ambition but also stresses broad physical or scope reach
mammoth
vsexpansive
5 3.9

Very large in size or amount

adds an extra sense of broad or ambitious overall reach
extended
vsexpansive
5 4.1

Large and covering a wide area or amount

emphasizes notable ambition or impressive overall dimension
encompassing
vsexpansive
6.0

Including many different people, ideas, or things

adds a stronger sense of impressive scale or ambition
big
vsexpansive
1.0

On a large or impressive scale

leans more toward wide area and ambitious scope rather than mere size

Antonyms

393 2.5

Available only in small amounts or to a few people

290 1.0

Having little distance between two sides

Compounds

expansive bit
  • Specialized
9.2

A part for a drill that makes holes of different sizes

How Big

huge
1.0
immense
141 3.7
vast
721 2.1
expansive
26 5.4
wide
1.0
spacious
45 2.5

Surface Forms

expansive positive
expansiver comparative
expansivest superlative

Morphology

expansive = expand (transparent) = expand + ive

Formed by adding the productive adjectival suffix '-ive' to the verb 'expand' (or to the related noun 'expanse'), producing an adjective meaning large or characterized by expansion.

Etymology

Expansive comes from the Latin parts ex- 'out' and pandere 'to spread', the same root as expand and expansion. So something expansive is like 'spread out' — large, wide, or ambitious in scale.