First Known Use: circa 1750
Dictionary
pervasive
adjective per·va·sive \pər-ˈvā-siv, -ziv\
: existing in every part of something : spreading to all parts of something
Full Definition of PERVASIVE
: existing in or spreading through every part of something <a pervasive odor>
— per·va·sive·ly adverb
— per·va·sive·ness noun
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Examples of PERVASIVE
- A resuscitated orthodoxy, so pervasive as to be nearly invisible, rules the land. —Mark Slouka, Harper's, November 2004
- The manic money-grab excitement of the Nineties had never been altogether free of our pervasive American guilt. —Norman Mailer, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002
- Race was never articulated as an issue at the trial, even though its presence was pervasive. —Howard Chua-Eoan, Time, 6 Mar. 2000
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Origin of PERVASIVE
(see pervade)
Rhymes with PERVASIVE
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