expansive

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪkˈspænsɪv/ UK /ɪkˈspænsɪv/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like expensive /ɛ/ vs /æ/

adj

Meanings

1

adj
covering a wide area; open and communicative in manner

He grew expansive after dinner, telling stories for hours.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · covering a wide area; open... broad extensive wide comprehensive outgoing effusive genial

Opposites

narrow limited reserved reticent restricted

Word family

Derived forms expansivelyexpansiveness

Related forms expand expansion expanse

Etymology

From expand + -ive, from Latin expansus, past participle of expandere ('to spread out'), from ex- ('out') + pandere ('to spread, stretch').

expandere Latin pandere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# expansive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ɪkˈspænsɪv
**IPA (UK):** ɪkˈspænsɪv

## Meanings
1. covering a wide area; open and communicative in manner

## Examples
- He grew expansive after dinner, telling stories for hours.

## Synonyms
- broad
- extensive
- wide
- comprehensive
- outgoing
- effusive
- genial

## Antonyms
- narrow
- limited
- reserved
- reticent
- restricted

## Derived Forms
- expansively
- expansiveness

## Related Forms
- expand
- expansion
- expanse

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: expandere
- Root: pandere

## Etymology
From expand + -ive, from Latin expansus, past participle of expandere ('to spread out'), from ex- ('out') + pandere ('to spread, stretch').

## AI Etymology
Expansive comes from expand + -ive, from Latin expansus, past participle of expandere ('to spread out'), from ex- ('out') + pandere ('to spread, stretch'). The etymological trail includes Latin expandere and Latin pandere. As an adjective, expansive describes what is covering a wide area; open and communicative in manner. The same family is visible in derived forms such as expansively and expansiveness and related forms such as expand, expansion, and expanse. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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