Which process describes a sense shift where a word broadens its meanings over time?

• A. Semantic narrowing
• B. Semantic bleaching
• C. Semantic generalization
• D. Semantic broadening

Answer: (D)

The main idea being tested is how a word’s range of meaning can expand over time—that is, the word starts to cover more things than it did before. This is semantic broadening. It happens when a term takes on new contexts or is extended metaphorically, so its referents grow and the word ends up in more situations than in the past. A classic illustration is broadcast. Originally it meant to scatter seeds widely across a field; now it also means to transmit radio or television signals widely. This shows the sense shift from a narrower set of meanings to a broader one.

This differs from semantic bleaching, which would lose descriptive power or detail in a word’s meaning rather than add new scope. It also differs from narrowing, where a word’s meanings become more restricted. Semantics generalization is sometimes used as a synonym for broadening, but the description “broadens its meanings” aligns most directly with semantic broadening.