WIDENING Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

widening

verb

present participle of widen

as in broadening

to increase the width, breadth, or scope of Immediate action to widen the highway is needed to ease the near constant congestion. The authorities planned to widen their investigation into Ponzi scheme.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of widening Fighting autocracy and inequality The Ford Foundation frames its new plan as its answer to rising autocracy, widening inequality, and fading public trust. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 Even before the Iran war, Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit was widening, signature investment projects were being scaled back, and the sugar rush from the sweeping economic and social reforms was wearing off. — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026 The United States is not the only external player in this widening energy war. — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026 But there’s a difference between widening the conversation and sacrificing it to a simulacrum. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 Much of Bloomberg’s money is going toward the House with the goal of widening the possible margin of victory for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), who is likely to become the House speaker if Democrats win it back, Wolfson said. — Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026 Thus, Planet 1 slows down and begins to lag behind Planet 2, widening the gap between them. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026 Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images The spread is widening between AI leaders OpenAI and Anthropic as a sell-off in CoreWeave leads neocloud stocks lower. — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 The strikes marked a fresh escalation in the widening Middle East crisis and came shortly after a coalition spokesman urged residents to evacuate the area for their safety. — Fatma Khaled, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for widening

Verb

Higher oil prices and a broadening sell-off that hit many market sectors dragged the three major averages to losses on Friday.

— Ananya Chetia,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2026
Mail-in voting has become more popular over the last decade, with many states broadening access to it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

— Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of broadening

Verb

The four countries agreed Monday to continue talks on expanding cooperation among them, particularly about regional peace and security, a statement said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Some brands are expanding their use of advance material and capacity commitments, while delaying final decisions on color, SKU quantities or market allocation.

— Jessica Binns, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of expanding

Verb

Porsche's China sales have fallen sharply in recent years amid intensifying competition from brands such as BYD, Geely and Xiaomi.

— Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
Mose, a former Norwegian judge, said the intensifying attacks as this winter approaches raise serious concerns about the threats posed to civilians.

— Edith M. Lederer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of intensifying

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widened

widening

widens

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“Widening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/widening. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of widening

verb

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