encompassing

IPA/ɛŋkˈʌmpəsɪŋ/
KK[ɛnkˈʌmpəsɪŋ]IPA/ɛnkˈʌmpəsɪŋ/

encompassing — adjective

  • encompassingpositive
  • more encompassingcomparative
  • most encompassingsuperlative

1. including many different parts or topics, not just one small area.

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

including many different parts or topics, not just one small area.

Example

The museum opened an encompassing show on island food, music, and dress.

before noun: encompassing + show

Adina's report offered an encompassing view of housing, transport, and school costs.

encompassing view of several topics

Common collocations
  • an encompassing plan
  • an encompassing view
  • an encompassing report
  • an encompassing study
Synonyms
  • comprehensive

    stresses full and careful coverage, often with more detail

  • wide-ranging

    emphasizes breadth across many subjects or areas

  • inclusive

    focuses on not leaving people or views out

Antonyms
  • limited

    covering only a small part of the subject

  • narrow

    focused on one small area rather than many

Grammar Patterns

an encompassing plan

an encompassing view of something

Usage Note

Usually appears before nouns such as plan, view, report, or study. It suggests broad coverage gathered into one whole, not just a long list.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Encompassing, comprehensive, wide-ranging, and inclusive all suggest breadth, but they do not point to the same kind of breadth. Encompassing is useful when one thing brings several topics, groups, or features together inside one frame, such as an encompassing report or plan. Comprehensive stresses completeness and careful detail. Wide-ranging highlights how far something reaches across different areas. Inclusive focuses on making sure people or viewpoints are not left out. So a handbook may be comprehensive, a debate may be wide-ranging, and a policy may be inclusive, while an encompassing study pulls many parts together as one connected whole.

comprehensive ↗wide-ranging ↗inclusive ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

  • view of

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Encompassing comes from encompass, a verb that first suggested surrounding something on every side. It combines en-, an old prefix meaning 'put into or around', with compass, a word linked to circling. From the image of being all around something, English developed the broader meaning of including many parts within one whole.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b