worldwide, a.
(stress variable)
Also world-wide.
[f. world n. + wide a.]
a. ‘As wide as the world’; extending over or covering the whole world.
| 1632 Lithgow Trav. ii. 71, I had the ground to be a pillow, and the world-wide-fields to be a chamber. |
| 1842 Tennyson Locksley Hall 125 The world-wide whisper of the south-wind rushing warm. 1851 Mrs. Browning Casa Guidi Wind. i. 899 The world-wide throes Which went to make the popedom. 1860 Worcester, World-wide, coextensive with the world; as, ‘World-wide fame’. 1877 C. Geikie Christ lvii. (1879) 693 The Jews thought Christ would raise Israel to world-wide supremacy. 1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad xlii, The world-wide air was azure. 1912 Athenæum 24 Aug. 183/1 The problems he undertook to solve were worldwide. |
b. as
adv.| 1892 E. Reeves Homeward Bound 294 Where in caves live the world-wide known gipsies. 1953 Reader's Digest July 27 World-wide, three million dogs have already safely got this..vaccine. 1972 Nature 24 Mar. 184/3 Workers in the field number no more than about fifty, worldwide. 1980 Bookseller 14 June 2528/1 (Advt.), Subscriptions manager required for expanding publishing business trading worldwide. |
Hence
worldwidely adv.,
worldwideness.
nonce-wds.| 1897 Daily News 25 Nov. 5/1 World-widely famous. 1920 19th Cent. July 37 Don Sturzo's ambitions are Caesarean in their world-wideness. |