What does broad mean?
Broad is an adjective describing something that measures a great deal from side to side — a broad street, a broad river, a pair of broad shoulders. Its figurative uses are equally important: a 'broad range' or 'broad spectrum' covers many items or possibilities, 'broad strokes' refers to the general outlines of a subject rather than fine detail, and a 'broad-minded' person is tolerant of differing views. In linguistics and speech, a 'broad accent' is one strongly marked by its region. The word carries largely neutral connotations, though it can sound blunt when describing physical features. It appears constantly in journalism, academia, and everyday description precisely because it captures scale and inclusiveness in a single syllable. A common idiom is 'in broad daylight', meaning openly and shamelessly. Derived forms include 'breadth' (the measured width), 'broaden' (to make or become wider), and 'broadly' (in general terms). An unrelated, dated slang sense uses 'broad' as a noun for a woman, now considered offensive.
Wide; having great physical or figurative extent from side to side, or large in scope and comprehensiveness.
"The hotel offers a broad selection of dining options."
Common in both literal and figurative contexts; fully standard in formal writing.
(Informal, dated, often offensive) a term for a woman.
"—"
Avoid this sense entirely; it is dated mid-20th-century American slang and widely regarded as derogatory.
Fully or widely, especially of pronunciation (as in 'to speak broad').
"He spoke broad Yorkshire all his life."
In 20th-century American slang, 'broad' was a cheeky term for a woman — a usage now considered offensive, but one that gave noir films some of their sharpest dialogue.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of broad
Broad descends from Old English 'brād', meaning wide or extensive, and belongs to a family of West Germanic words including Dutch 'breed' and German 'breit'. Its roots reach back to Proto-Germanic and ultimately a broader Indo-European base associated with spreading out. The word has been stable in form and meaning for over a thousand years, with its figurative senses developing naturally from the physical sense of width. The derivative 'breadth' arose by analogy with other length-depth-width formations in Middle English.
Related word forms
How broad is actually used
Mostly neutral in tone. The figurative senses ('broad-minded', 'broad appeal') are positive or neutral, while 'broad' applied to body parts can sound blunt. The noun sense referring to a woman is dated American slang and widely considered derogatory — avoid it.
Easily confused with broad
'Broad' means wide or extensive, while 'board' is a flat piece of wood or an organized group of people.
'Broad' is the adjective describing something wide, while 'breadth' is the noun meaning the measure of that width.