What does extensively mean?
Extensively is an adverb meaning to a great extent, over a wide area, or in a thorough manner. It describes actions or conditions that are broad in scope or carried out at length: researchers test drugs extensively, scholars read extensively in their fields, and travellers journey extensively across continents. The word carries no strong emotional connotation; it simply signals scale or thoroughness, which makes it especially common in academic, scientific, journalistic, and professional writing. English speakers distinguish it from intensively, its close neighbour: to study a subject extensively is to cover a lot of ground, while studying it intensively means concentrating deeply on a narrow part of it. Derived from the Latin root extendere, meaning to stretch out, extensively ultimately conveys the idea of something stretched or reaching far. Its clarity and breadth make it a useful word for describing anything widespread, comprehensive, or far-reaching.
adverbTo a great or large extent; widely or thoroughly. Used to describe something done, used, or spread over a broad area, scope, or degree.
- To a large extent or over a wide area or range (e.g., travel extensively, use extensively).
- Thoroughly or in great detail (e.g., extensively revised).
"The treatment has been extensively tested in clinical trials."
"She has travelled extensively throughout Southeast Asia."
"The manuscript was extensively revised before publication."
"Extensively" and "intensively" differ by just a few letters — but one means spreading wide, the other digging deep.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of extensively
Extensive derives from the Latin verb extendere, meaning 'to stretch out' or 'extend', formed from ex- ('out') plus tendere ('to stretch'). The adjective extensive entered English in the early 17th century, borrowed via Latin extensivus, and the adverb extensively followed as its natural derivative. The same Latin root gives English a whole family of related words, including extend, extent, extension, and extendable.
Related word forms
How extensively is actually used
Extensively is neutral in register, common in both formal academic writing and general prose. It frequently modifies verbs of research, use, testing, and travel. It is not typically used to describe emotions or abstract states.
Easily confused with extensively
Intensively means with concentrated focus or effort on something specific, while extensively means covering a broad range or large scope.