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weitläufig
spacious
Extending over a large area; very roomy or expansive.
example
Die Wohnung war überraschend hell und weitläufig.
The apartment was surprisingly bright and spacious.
weitläufig
spacious / distant / long-winded
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word structure
The word consists of 'weit' (wide/far) and '-läufig' (from 'laufen', to run/walk). The basic idea is something that extends or 'runs' far—whether it is a space, a family line, or a story.
EXAMPLE
Das Schloss ist von einem weitläufigen Park umgeben.
The castle is surrounded by a spacious park.
Meaning in context
The meaning of 'weitläufig' (spacious/distant/long-winded) depends strongly on the noun. With places, it means 'spacious'; with people, 'distantly related'; and with language or texts, 'detailed' or 'long-winded'.
EXAMPLE
Die Hotelanlage ist sehr weitläufig.
The hotel complex is very spacious.
Typical collocations
In its spatial meaning, 'weitläufig' (spacious) describes large, open areas. Typical nouns are 'Park' (park), 'Garten' (garden), 'Anwesen' (estate), 'Gelände' (grounds/site), or 'Flur' (hallway/corridor).
EXAMPLE
Das weitläufige Gelände des Festivals war schwer zu überblicken.
The spacious festival grounds were hard to take in.
Fixed combination
This meaning is almost always used in the fixed combination 'weitläufig verwandt sein' (to be distantly related) to express a family relationship that is not close.
EXAMPLE
Wir sind nur weitläufig miteinander verwandt und treffen uns selten.
We are only distantly related and rarely meet.
Compare with
weitläufig vs knapp
scarce / just under / close
'knapp' and 'weitläufig' are opposites when it comes to the style of an explanation or presentation. 'Knapp' means brief and limited to the essentials. 'Weitläufig' means very detailed and often also cumbersome or digressive. A brief answer gets to the point quickly. A long-winded answer contains many details and may lead away from the topic.
weitläufig
Der Bericht war so weitläufig, dass viele Leser den Hauptpunkt übersehen haben.
The report was so long-winded that many readers missed the main point.
knapp
Frau Schwarz erklärt den Plan am Montag nur knapp.
Ms. Schwarz explains the plan only briefly on Monday.
In real life
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