pervasive

IPA/pəˈveɪsɪv/
KK[pɚvˈesɪv]IPA/pərˈveɪsɪv/

pervasive — adjective

  • pervasivepositive
  • more pervasivecomparative
  • most pervasivesuperlative

1. spread through a place, group, or activity so widely that you notice it almost e

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

spread through a place, group, or activity so widely that you notice it almost everywhere

Example

After the market fire, the smell of smoke was pervasive.

predicative: be pervasive

Online ads are pervasive in apps for young children.

be pervasive in + place/group

Common collocations
  • pervasive smell
  • pervasive fear
  • pervasive influence
  • pervasive advertising
  • pervasive problem
Synonyms
  • widespread

    Close in meaning, but more neutral and less strongly suggests something is impossible to avoid.

  • ubiquitous

    Stronger and slightly more formal, often used when something seems to be everywhere at once.

  • common

    A simpler everyday word that may only mean not rare, without the idea of spreading through an environment.

Antonyms
  • limited

    Present only in a small area or small number of cases.

  • localized

    Restricted to one place or one part instead of spreading widely.

  • rare

    Not often seen or found.

Grammar Patterns

be pervasive in + place/group

pervasive + noun

Usage Note

Often used with nouns such as smell, fear, influence, bias, or technology. It usually suggests something spreads so widely through an environment that people keep running into it, often in an unwanted way.

Common Mistakes

The baby has a pervasive cough.
The baby has a persistent cough.
pervasive means spread widely, not simply lasting a long time.
Phone ads are pervasive to children's apps.
Phone ads are pervasive in children's apps.
this adjective commonly takes in when naming the place, system, or group affected.

Word family

  • pervade
    verbC1
  • pervasively
    adverbC2
  • pervasiveness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For adjective/1, pervasive and widespread both describe something found in many places, but pervasive usually adds the idea that people keep noticing it and cannot easily escape it. It often sounds negative with smells, fear, bias, or corruption. Widespread is more neutral and is common in reports about damage, support, disease, or change across a large area. Ubiquitous is stronger and slightly more formal; it suggests something seems to be everywhere at once, especially technology, screens, or brands. Common is the plain everyday word, but it may only mean 'not rare'. Say 'pervasive smoke in the building', 'widespread flooding across the county', 'ubiquitous smartphones', and 'a common mistake'.

pervasive ↗widespread ↗ubiquitous ↗common ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • highly pervasive
  • increasingly pervasive

Phrases

  • become pervasive
  • remain pervasive

Prepositions

  • pervasive in
  • pervasive across
  • pervasive throughout

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Pervasive was formed in English from pervade and the ending -ive. Pervade comes from Latin pervadere, meaning 'to go through' or 'spread through', which matches the modern idea of something reaching many parts of a place or situation.