Which sentence illustrates semantic broadening?

• A. The word meat narrowed from all food to animal flesh only
• B. A word narrowing from general to specific
• C. A word pejoration example with "awful" becoming negative
• D. The word holiday broadened from a religious festival to any vacation period

Answer: (D)

Semantic broadening happens when a word’s meaning becomes more general and covers a wider range of references. The sentence that shows this best is the one where holiday shifts from meaning a religious festival to any vacation period. That change widens what the word can refer to—from holy days to all kinds of breaks—so its scope has increased. By comparison, meat narrowing is when a word’s meaning narrows from all food to animal flesh, which is not broadening. A pejoration example, like awful moving from “inspiring awe” to negative, reflects a different kind of semantic change. To spot broadening, look for a word whose referents expand rather than shrink.