Extensive

Extensive is an adjective that describes something of large extent, scope, area, or amount. It often implies breadth or reach rather than density or concentration. The word derives from Latin extensus, the past participle of extendere, meaning to stretch out.

In science and philosophy, extensive properties depend on the size or amount of a system. Examples include mass, volume, total energy, and total charge. These contrast with intensive properties, such as temperature, pressure, or density, which do not depend on how much material is present.

In everyday use, extensive can describe broad coverage or reach. For example, extensive research, extensive geographic regions, extensive damage, or extensive farming all convey large-scale scope. The term also appears in phrases like extensively studied or extensively renovated, signaling thoroughness or wide scope rather than depth per unit.

Extensive is often paired with intensive to clarify how a descriptor scales with system size. This pairing helps distinguish properties or analyses that grow with quantity from those that remain constant per unit. The term is versatile across disciplines, including science, geography, education, and policy, and it generally signals large-scale, comprehensive, or far-reaching characteristics.