wide ‧ ly W2 /ˈwaɪdli/ BrE AmE adverb
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ wide , ↑ widely ; verb : ↑ widen ; noun : ↑ width ; adjective : ↑ wide ]
1 . in a lot of different places or by a lot of people:
Organic food is now widely available.
an author who had travelled widely in the Far East
a widely used method
These laws were widely regarded as too strict.
This view was not widely held.
2 . to a large degree – used when talking about differences:
The quality of the applicants varies widely.
3 . widely read
a) read by a lot of people:
a widely read magazine
b) having read many different books