far-reaching

far-reaching — adjective

1. describes something such as a decision, a change, or an event that affects a ver

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes something such as a decision, a change, or an event that affects a very large number of people or things across many different areas or over a long period

Example

The mayor's far-reaching plan to improve public transport won support from all sides.

collocation: far-reaching plan / far-reaching reform

Ravi's research on water purification had far-reaching effects in three different countries.

Common collocations
  • far-reaching consequences
  • far-reaching effects
  • far-reaching changes
  • far-reaching impact
  • far-reaching implications
  • far-reaching reforms
  • far-reaching decision
  • far-reaching influence
Synonyms
  • wide-ranging

    emphasises covering many different topics or areas; slightly more concrete than far-reaching

  • sweeping

    suggests broad, complete, often dramatic change; stronger and more emphatic than far-reaching

  • extensive

    focuses on large scale or amount; may not imply deep, lasting influence like far-reaching does

  • broad

    general in scope; less dramatic and more neutral than far-reaching

Antonyms
  • limited

    restricted in scope or effect, the opposite of extending widely

  • narrow

    affecting only a small number of people or things

Grammar Patterns

far-reaching + noun

be far-reaching

Usage Note

Typically used before abstract nouns expressing scope or influence (effects, consequences, changes, impact, implications, reforms, decisions). The word itself is never used as a verb.

Common Mistakes

The river was far-reaching across the valley.
The river stretched far across the valley.
far-reaching describes abstract influence, not physical distance.
The new rules far-reached every department.
The new rules had far-reaching effects on every department.
far-reaching is an adjective, not a verb.

❌ 'His story seemed far-fetched and unrealistic.' (not 'far-reaching') — far-fetched means unlikely or hard to believe; far-reaching means having wide influence.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These five adjectives all describe something that covers a large scope, but they differ in nuance. Far-reaching emphasises influence that extends across many areas or over time — the core idea is depth and reach (a far-reaching decision changes many lives for years). Wide-ranging is more concrete: it covers many topics, places, or categories without necessarily implying deep impact (a wide-ranging interview touches on politics, culture, and science). Sweeping is the strongest and most dramatic, often used for radical, complete change (sweeping reforms can reshape an entire system). Extensive focuses on scale or amount — an extensive network covers a large area, but the word doesn't carry the sense of lasting effect. Broad is the most neutral, simply meaning general or not narrow in scope (a broad agreement covers many issues without detail). In practice, a change can be both far-reaching and sweeping, but choose sweeping for drama, wide-ranging for variety, extensive for size, and broad for generality.

far-reaching ↗wide-rangingsweeping ↗extensive ↗broad ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • of far-reaching significance
  • far-reaching in scope

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed by combining the adverb 'far' (from Old English 'feor', meaning at a great distance) and the present participle 'reaching' (from Old English 'ræcan', meaning to stretch out or extend). The compound has been used since the early 1800s to describe ideas, laws, or events whose influence extends widely across many areas — originally in political and legal writing before spreading into general use.