pervasive

Intermediatezipf 3.39

Pronunciation

/pəˈveɪsɪv/(puh-VAY-siv)

Part of speech

adjectiveneutral

Chinese

弥漫的；遍布的；渗透性的

Definition

Spreading widely throughout an area or group of people; present everywhere.

Word family

  • pervade/pəˈveɪd/(v)弥漫
  • pervasively/pəˈveɪsɪvli/(adv)
  • pervasiveness/pəˈveɪsɪvnəs/(n)

Collocations

  • pervasive influence
  • pervasive smell
  • pervasive problem
  • pervasive culture

Examples

  1. 1.Social media has become a pervasive force in modern culture. (omnipresent)
  2. 2.A pervasive sense of anxiety hung over the office before layoffs. (spreading everywhere)

Synonyms

  • widespread/ˈwaɪdsprɛd/— extending over large area
  • ubiquitous/juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/— found everywhere
  • prevalent/ˈprɛvələnt/— commonly occurring

Etymology

from Latin "pervadere" = to go through — per- (through) + vadere (to go)