extensive

extensive — adjective

1. having a broad reach or effect, whether across physical space, a range of subjec

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

having a broad reach or effect, whether across physical space, a range of subjects, or an amount of something

Example

The storm caused extensive damage to homes and roads across the region.

collocation: extensive damage

Dr. Okafor has extensive knowledge of tropical diseases and their treatment.

collocation: extensive knowledge

Common collocations
  • extensive damage
  • extensive knowledge
  • extensive experience
  • extensive collection
  • extensive research
  • extensive grounds
  • extensive range
Synonyms
  • broad

    emphasizes width of range; less formal than extensive

  • wide-ranging

    stresses variety across different areas; more informal but very common

  • comprehensive

    focuses on completeness and thoroughness, especially for documents or studies

  • vast

    suggests enormous physical scale; stronger and often more dramatic than extensive

Antonyms
  • limited

    opposite in both scope and amount

  • narrow

    opposite in range or variety

Grammar Patterns

extensive + noun

be + extensive

Common Mistakes

The book had an extensive cover.' (meaning spacious).
The book had extensive coverage of the topic.
'extensive' describes scope or range, not physical size of a flat object like a book cover.

2. relating to a farming or agricultural method that uses very large stretches of l

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

relating to a farming or agricultural method that uses very large stretches of land while minimizing the amount of labor, equipment, or money invested per unit

Example

Extensive farming uses large areas of land but fewer workers per hectare than intensive methods.

contrasts with intensive farming

Rodrigo's family has practiced extensive grazing on their ranch in Argentina for three generations.

attributive: extensive grazing

Common collocations
  • extensive farming
  • extensive agriculture
  • extensive grazing
  • extensive livestock production
Synonyms
  • large-scale

    more general; not limited to farming contexts

  • low-intensity

    emphasizes the minimal-input aspect rather than land area

Antonyms
  • intensive

    the direct opposite; high labor and investment per unit of land

Grammar Patterns

extensive + noun (agricultural context)

Usage Note

Mostly used before a noun (attributive position) to describe a type of farming. The opposite concept is intensive farming, where smaller land areas receive higher inputs of labor and resources.

Common Mistakes

The farmer switched to extensive irrigation system.' (confusing with 'large' in general).
The farmer switched to extensive grazing methods across the open plains.
use the agricultural sense only when referring to low-input, large-area farming, not just any large system.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Broad is the most general of these, often describing something that covers many subjects or people ('a broad education'). Wide-ranging emphasizes variety across different areas, suggesting a collection of diverse elements ('a wide-ranging interview'). Comprehensive stresses completeness and thoroughness, especially for formal documents, reports, or studies ('a comprehensive analysis'). Vast is the strongest, conveying enormous scale — often physical — and can sound dramatic ('a vast desert'). Choose extensive when you want a neutral, precise term for large scope or quantity without the poetic weight of vast or the formality of comprehensive. For instance, 'extensive damage' sounds factual, while 'vast damage' sounds emotional.

broad ↗wide-rangingcomprehensive ↗vast ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • fairly extensive
  • quite extensive
  • most extensive
  • highly extensive

Prepositions

  • extensive in

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Extensive comes from Latin 'extensus', the past participle of 'extendere' (to stretch out), combined with the English suffix '-ive', which turns verbs into adjectives meaning 'having the quality of'. So the core image is of something that has been stretched out widely. The word entered English through French in the 1600s, first used in a physical sense (wide land) and later extended to abstract meanings (broad knowledge, large scope).