Meaning & use
pervasive
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Spreading through every part of a place, group or situation so that it is found everywhere.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a pervasive smell, the problem is pervasive.
Patterns
- pervasive in something
- a pervasive influence
The smell of smoke was pervasive throughout the house.
Social media has a pervasive influence on teenagers.
Corruption became pervasive in the city's government.
Word forms
| comparative | more pervasive |
|---|---|
| superlative | most pervasive |
Common combinations
- pervasive influence
- Advertising has a pervasive influence on our choices.
- pervasive sense of
- A pervasive sense of fear hung over the town.
- increasingly pervasive
- Smartphones are increasingly pervasive.
- pervasive problem
- Poor sleep is a pervasive problem among students.
- pervasive culture
- There was a pervasive culture of secrecy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- widespread
- Says something is common over a large area but not that it fills every part.
- ubiquitous
- Means found everywhere, usually about things, and sounds more literary.
- prevalent
- Means common at a particular time or place, and does not suggest soaking through.
- omnipresent
- Suggests being present everywhere at once, often with a slightly dramatic feel.
Opposites
Word family
- pervade verb
- to spread through every part of something
- pervasively adverb
- in a way that spreads everywhere
- pervasiveness noun
- the state of being found everywhere
Commonly confused: pervasive or invasive?
pervasive vs invasive
Invasive means spreading into a place where it is not wanted or entering the body, whereas pervasive means already present throughout.
Practice
Which situation is best described as pervasive?
Choose one answer.
Pervasive means present through every part, as the damp smell is. The others are single, rare or brief.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pervasive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.