واسع

Arabic

Etymology

Root
و س ع (w s ʕ)
12 terms

Derived from the active participle of وَسُعَ (wasuʕa, “to be wide”) and وَسِعَ (wasiʕa, “to be wide, to hold, to contain”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /waː.siʕ/

Adjective

وَاسِع • (wāsiʕ) (feminine وَاسِعَة (wāsiʕa), masculine plural وَاسِعُونَ (wāsiʕūna), feminine plural وَاسِعَات (wāsiʕāt), elative أَوْسَع (ʔawsaʕ))

1. large in area, extensive, vast; broad; wide; open
   1. spacious, roomy

      Synonyms: شَاسِع (šāsiʕ), فَسِيح (fasīḥ)

      • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 4:97:

        قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللّٰهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا

        qālū ʔalam takun ʔarḍu llāhi wāsiʕatan fa-tuhājirū fīhā

        [The angels] will respond, “Was Allah’s earth not spacious enough for you to emigrate?”

   2. (of clothes) loose, oversized
   3. (of a person's perspective, attitude, or mind) open, broad
   4. (of a person's learning) extensive, deep
2. expansive; comprehensive, inclusive
3. (of a matter, issue, topic, or the like) open, up for discussion, discussable, undetermined
   1. (when referring to issues relating to laws, rules, regulations, and the like) debateable, not fixed
4. (rare, approving) not strict; not harsh; forgiving

   Synonym: سَمِح (samiḥ)

5. (rare) generous, liberal

   Synonyms: جَوَاد (jawād), مِعْطَاء (miʕṭāʔ)

Usage notes

Strictly speaking, the word generally signifies extensiveness, vastness, and spaciousness, as well as openness, not the extent from side to side, which is denoted by عَرِيض (ʕarīḍ) instead.

• اَلْغُرَفُ وَاسِعَةٌ ― al-ḡurafu wāsiʕatun ― The rooms are large.
• الأَرْضُ الْوَاسِعَةُ ― al-ʔarḍu al-wāsiʕatu ― the open land
• سَاحَةٌ وَاسِعَةُ ― sāḥatun wāsiʕatu ― an expansive area

Due to the overlap between their semantic fields, however, the two are sometimes interchangeable, and there are instances where وَاسِع (wāsiʕ) is preferred and more idiomatic, especially when the wideness of the referent is convenient or desirable.

• طَرِيقٌ وَاسِعٌ ― ṭarīqun wāsiʕun ― a wide road
• مَمَرٌّ وَاسِعٌ ― mamarrun wāsiʕun ― a wide corridor

A like connection between narrowness and inconvenience (or frustration) is implied by its antonym ضَيِّق (ḍayyiq). Compare loose and tight.

Declension

Declension of adjective وَاسِع (wāsiʕ)

singular	masculine		feminine
	basic singular triptote		singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
informal	وَاسِع wāsiʕ	الْوَاسِع al-wāsiʕ	وَاسِعَة wāsiʕa	الْوَاسِعَة al-wāsiʕa
nominative	وَاسِعٌ wāsiʕun	الْوَاسِعُ al-wāsiʕu	وَاسِعَةٌ wāsiʕatun	الْوَاسِعَةُ al-wāsiʕatu
accusative	وَاسِعًا wāsiʕan	الْوَاسِعَ al-wāsiʕa	وَاسِعَةً wāsiʕatan	الْوَاسِعَةَ al-wāsiʕata
genitive	وَاسِعٍ wāsiʕin	الْوَاسِعِ al-wāsiʕi	وَاسِعَةٍ wāsiʕatin	الْوَاسِعَةِ al-wāsiʕati
dual	masculine		feminine
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
informal	وَاسِعَيْن wāsiʕayn	الْوَاسِعَيْن al-wāsiʕayn	وَاسِعَتَيْن wāsiʕatayn	الْوَاسِعَتَيْن al-wāsiʕatayn
nominative	وَاسِعَانِ wāsiʕāni	الْوَاسِعَانِ al-wāsiʕāni	وَاسِعَتَانِ wāsiʕatāni	الْوَاسِعَتَانِ al-wāsiʕatāni
accusative	وَاسِعَيْنِ wāsiʕayni	الْوَاسِعَيْنِ al-wāsiʕayni	وَاسِعَتَيْنِ wāsiʕatayni	الْوَاسِعَتَيْنِ al-wāsiʕatayni
genitive	وَاسِعَيْنِ wāsiʕayni	الْوَاسِعَيْنِ al-wāsiʕayni	وَاسِعَتَيْنِ wāsiʕatayni	الْوَاسِعَتَيْنِ al-wāsiʕatayni
plural	masculine		feminine
	sound masculine plural		sound feminine plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
informal	وَاسِعِين wāsiʕīn	الْوَاسِعِين al-wāsiʕīn	وَاسِعَات wāsiʕāt	الْوَاسِعَات al-wāsiʕāt
nominative	وَاسِعُونَ wāsiʕūna	الْوَاسِعُونَ al-wāsiʕūna	وَاسِعَاتٌ wāsiʕātun	الْوَاسِعَاتُ al-wāsiʕātu
accusative	وَاسِعِينَ wāsiʕīna	الْوَاسِعِينَ al-wāsiʕīna	وَاسِعَاتٍ wāsiʕātin	الْوَاسِعَاتِ al-wāsiʕāti
genitive	وَاسِعِينَ wāsiʕīna	الْوَاسِعِينَ al-wāsiʕīna	وَاسِعَاتٍ wāsiʕātin	الْوَاسِعَاتِ al-wāsiʕāti

Antonyms

• ضَيِّق (ḍayyiq)

Descendants

• Maltese: wiesa’
• Moroccan Arabic: واسع (wāsaʕ)

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “واسع”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[1], London: W.H. Allen

Moroccan Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic وَاسِع (wāsiʕ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /waːsaʕ/

Adjective

واسع • (wāsaʕ) (feminine واسعة (wāsʕa), common plural وساع (wsāʕ), masculine plural واسعين (wāsʕīn), feminine plural واسعات (wāsʕāt), elative أوسع (ʔawsaʕ) or وسع (wsaʕ))

1. wide

   Antonym: ضيق (ḍiyyaq)

Descendants

• → Central Atlas Tamazight: ⵡⵙⵄ (wsɛ)

South Levantine Arabic

Root
و س ع
3 terms

Etymology

From Arabic وَاسِع (wāsiʕ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /waː.siʕ/, [ˈwæː.sɪʕ]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

Adjective

واسع • (wāseʕ) (feminine واسعة (wāsʕa), common plural واسعين (wāsʕīn), elative أوسع (ʔawsaʕ))

1. wide, spacious

   Antonym: ضيّق (ḍiyyeʔ)

See also

• عريض (ʕarīḍ, “wide, broad”)

Urdu

Etymology

From Arabic وَاسِع (wāsiʕ).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ʋɑː.seːʔ/

Adjective

واسِع • (vāseʿ) (Hindi spelling वासि)

1. capacious, wide, roomy
2. ample

References

• “واسع”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “واسع”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.