pervasive

[per-vey-siv]

adjective

1. spread throughout.

   The corruption is so pervasive that it is accepted as the way to do business.

pervasive

/ pɜːˈveɪsɪv /

adjective

1. pervading or tending to pervade

Other Word Forms

• pervasively adverb
• pervasiveness noun
• interpervasive adjective
• interpervasively adverb
• nonpervasive adjective
• nonpervasively adverb
• unpervasive adjective
• unpervasively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of pervasive¹

First recorded in 1730–40; equivalent to Latin pervās(us), past participle of pervādere “to pass through” + -ive ( def. ); pervade ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of pervasive¹

C18: from Latin pervāsus, past participle of pervādere to _pervade

Example Sentences

The plastics varied in type and concentration, revealing how pervasive they have become -- even in such delicate tissue.

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As the world's strongest storm of the year closes in, people describe frantic preparations, empty shops, and a pervasive sense of anxiety.

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Astronomical rents and housing scarcity are pervasive problems in America's most populous city of 8.5 million people where one in four people cannot afford life's essentials.

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But Izumi also has raised the alarm that pervasive AI use could counteract the benefits of homework by enabling cut-and-paste laziness.

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By cultivating a pervasive culture of deflection, the GOP has trained their supporters that shame doesn’t have to be real.

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Related Words

• common 
• inescapable 
• omnipresent 
• prevalent 
• rife 
• ubiquitous 
• universal