pervasive

American  

[per-vey-siv] / pərˈveɪ sɪv /

adjective

1. spread throughout.

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

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pervasive British  

/ pɜːˈveɪsɪv /

adjective

1. pervading or tending to pervade

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of pervasive

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

Example Sentences

The prevailing theme is the public’s pervasive distrust of virtually every institution in American life.

From The Wall Street Journal

“But there needs to be limits, lest drone surveillance becomes pervasive and changes what it’s like to be out in public in America,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Logic would say that Nancy is already on borrowed time, but logic doesn't seem to be pervasive at the club at the moment.

From BBC

She lives “in hiding” in the capital, though the government’s pervasive security apparatus probably watches her movements closely.

From Los Angeles Times

“The Anxious Generation,” by Jonathan Haidt, inspects the pervasive anxiety of the modern era and offers solutions to heal it.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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