Meaning & use
pervasiveness
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Meaning
noununcountableformal
The condition of spreading through every part of something so that it is found everywhere.
Grammar: Uncountable and usually followed by of: the pervasiveness of social media.
Patterns
- the pervasiveness of something
- the pervasiveness of something in something
Researchers were struck by the pervasiveness of plastic in ocean water.
The pervasiveness of smartphones has changed how people meet.
Nobody doubted the pervasiveness of the rumor once it reached the whole school.
Common combinations
- the pervasiveness of technology
- The pervasiveness of technology makes it hard to switch off.
- growing pervasiveness
- The growing pervasiveness of advertising worries many parents.
- pervasiveness of corruption
- The report highlighted the pervasiveness of corruption in the city.
- surprising pervasiveness
- They were shocked by the surprising pervasiveness of the problem.
- pervasiveness of the media
- Critics point to the pervasiveness of the media in daily life.
Synonyms and how they differ
- prevalence
- Prevalence says how common something is, while pervasiveness says it has spread into every part.
- ubiquity
- Ubiquity means being everywhere at once and sounds slightly more literary than pervasiveness.
- omnipresence
- Omnipresence suggests something is present in all places, often with a feeling of watching or power.
- widespread nature
- Widespread nature is a plain phrase, whereas pervasiveness is a single noun that emphasizes penetration.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: pervasiveness or persuasiveness? pervasiveness or pervasion?
pervasiveness vs persuasiveness
Persuasiveness is the power to convince people, not the quality of spreading everywhere.
pervasiveness vs pervasion
Pervasion is a rarer word for the act of pervading, so pervasiveness is usually the better choice.
Practice
The study documented the ____ of fast food advertising in the neighborhood, where nearly every street had a sign.
Choose one answer.
Pervasiveness means spreading everywhere. Persuasiveness is about convincing people, which looks similar but does not match the idea of every street having a sign.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pervasiveness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.