globally

globally — adverb

1. happening in or affecting every part of the Earth, so that people, businesses, o

1.adverbB1
Definition

happening in or affecting every part of the Earth, so that people, businesses, or governments in many different countries are involved or affected.

Example

Climate change is a problem that must be tackled globally, not by individual countries alone.

collocation: tackled globally

Esteban's coffee company sources beans globally, from farms in Ethiopia, Colombia, and Vietnam.

collocation: sources [product] globally from [countries]

Common collocations
  • tackled globally
  • sourced globally
  • spread globally
  • recognized globally
  • compete globally
  • operate globally
Synonyms
  • worldwide

    nearly identical in meaning; slightly more common as an adjective than an adverb

  • internationally

    focuses on relations between countries rather than the whole Earth as a physical area

  • across the globe

    a prepositional phrase used adverbially; slightly more emphatic

Antonyms
  • locally

    restricted to a small area rather than the entire world

  • regionally

    limited to one geographic area rather than the whole planet

Grammar Patterns

globally + verb

verb + globally

globally + adjective

Common Mistakes

The news spread globally around the world.
The news spread quickly around the world.' or 'The news spread globally.
'globally' already means around the world, making the phrase redundant.

2. considering every part of a situation, problem, or plan rather than looking at s

2.adverbB2
Definition

considering every part of a situation, problem, or plan rather than looking at small pieces one at a time.

Example

Defne argued that the team should think globally about the marketing strategy, not just focus on social media.

collocation: think globally about [topic]

The consultant evaluated the business globally, looking at supply chains, staffing, and customer satisfaction together.

adverb position: evaluated [object] globally

Common collocations
  • think globally
  • view globally
  • consider globally
  • evaluate globally
  • assess globally
  • plan globally
Synonyms
  • comprehensively

    very similar; 'comprehensively' emphasizes thoroughness, while 'globally' emphasizes breadth across all parts

  • holistically

    focuses on how parts work together as a whole; more common in healthcare and systems thinking

  • broadly

    less precise; can mean 'in general terms' rather than 'covering every part'

Antonyms
  • narrowly

    considering only one small part of a situation

  • piecemeal

    dealing with parts one at a time without an overall view

Grammar Patterns

globally + verb of analysis

verb + globally

Usage Note

Often used with verbs of analysis such as think, view, consider, evaluate, plan, or assess. Rare in informal spoken English; more common in academic, business, and professional writing.

Common Mistakes

We need to think globally about this global problem.
We need to think broadly about this problem.' or 'We need to think globally about this issue.
avoid pairing 'globally' with 'global' in the same clause, as the repetition sounds careless.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Globally, worldwide, and internationally all describe scope that reaches beyond one country, but their emphasis differs. Globally is the broadest term, referring to the entire Earth and every region on it, whether the context is physical (climate, disease), economic (trade, supply chains), or social (awareness, recognition). Worldwide is nearly interchangeable with globally but is slightly more common as an adjective ("worldwide sales") than as an adverb; when used adverbially, it often appears after a verb ("sold worldwide") rather than before it. Internationally has a narrower focus: it refers specifically to relations or interactions between nations or among their governments and citizens. An agreement can be reached internationally (between countries), but a pandemic spreads globally (across the planet, regardless of borders). In business, a company may operate internationally (in multiple countries) and source materials globally (from all continents). Choose globally for geographic completeness, internationally for cross-border relations, and worldwide when either fits and you want the most common phrasing.

globally ↗worldwide ↗internationally ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • truly globally
  • effectively globally
  • increasingly globally

Phrases

  • on a global scale

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Globally is formed by adding the adverb-forming suffix -ly to the adjective global. Global itself comes from globe (the Earth) plus the adjective suffix -al. Globe entered English from Old French globe, which traces back to Latin globus, meaning 'a round ball, sphere, or mass.' The sense of 'worldwide' for global emerged in the late 19th century, and globally followed soon after as its adverbial form. The second sense—'covering all parts of a situation'—developed in the 20th century, extending the idea of global scope from physical geography to abstract analysis.