The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word EXTENSIVE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
X
T
E
N
S
I
V
E
More clues leading to the result EXTENSIVE
- Sometime around four, perfect perhaps, for sweeping!
- Wide-ranging former contract split by four
- Old lover in? See TV set that’s wide
- Sporting event is to support former comprehensive
- Comprehensive may be costly, needing tons for parking
- Old numbers I have put down as ‘great’
- One standing out of gate thinking without pressure in general
- First woman drinking, next is drunk? That's great!
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Wide-ranging" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case wide-ranging = extensive.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does EXTENSIVE mean?
EXTENSIVE adjective- Having a great extent; covering a large area; vast
- Considerable in amount.
- Serving to extend or lengthen; characterized by extension
- Having a combined system entropy that equals the sum of the entropies of the independent systems.