Meaning & use

pervious

adjective·Advanced

Allowing liquid, light, or another substance to pass through.

See it in a sentence

The engineers chose a pervious pavement that lets rainwater drain into the ground below.

Sandy soil is far more pervious to water than dense clay.

A note on using this word

Rare compared to its opposite, "impervious," which is far more commonly used in everyday English.

Words with a similar meaning

permeableporous

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

imperviousimpermeable

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pervious”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.