Covering a large area or affecting many things. It can also describe something that is wide in range, amount, or detail.
From Latin *extensivus* ‘capable of being stretched out’, from *extendere* ‘to stretch out’. The sense shifted to things that are widely spread or far-reaching.
If something is extensive, it doesn’t just exist—it sprawls. Whether it’s an extensive library or extensive damage, the word hints at something that reaches much farther than you might expect.
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