'widely-praised' is formed from the adverb 'widely' (from Old English 'wīd' meaning 'broad') + the past-participle adjective 'praised' (from 'praise'). 'Praise' originates from Old French 'preisier'/'preiser' and Late Latin 'pretiare' ('pretium' meaning 'price' or 'value'), where the root carried the sense of valuing or esteeming.

'praise' passed into Middle English as 'preisen'/'preisen' from Old French 'preisier', later becoming the modern English 'praise'. 'wide' comes from Old English 'wīd' and developed into the adverbial form 'widely' with the Old English-derived suffix '-ly' (from 'lic'). Combining an adverb plus a past participle to form an adjectival compound (e.g., 'widely praised') has been a common pattern in Modern English.

Initially the root behind 'praise' was connected to valuing or setting a price ('pretium'), but over time the sense shifted toward expressing approval and commendation; 'wide' retained the sense of broad extent. Together, the compound came to mean 'praised over a broad range or by many people'.