pervasive

adjective

per·​va·​sive pər-ˈvā-siv 

-ziv

: existing in or spreading through every part of something

a pervasive odor

pervasively adverb

pervasiveness noun

Did you know?

Is pervasive always negative?

Pervasive is most often used of things we don't really want spreading throughout all parts of something:

a pervasive problem

a stench that is pervasive

pervasive corruption

But pervasive can occasionally also be found in neutral and even positive contexts:

a pervasive rhythm

a pervasive sense of calm

The meaning isn't neutral when the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) uses it. Beginning in the early 1990s, the MPAA started giving the R rating to movies with "pervasive language." Most movies have language throughout, of course. The MPAA is using the phrase "pervasive language" to refer to the frequent use of a particular kind of language: profanity.

Examples of pervasive in a Sentence

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

the pervasive nature of the problem

television's pervasive influence on our culture

Recent Examples on the Web

That sentiment illustrated the kind of no-panic attitude that was pervasive around the Dodgers on Monday, even with two of their star players sidelined for the foreseeable future. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2024

Age discrimination in hiring is pervasive across the U.S, AARP said, adding that the complaint is meant to underline that such practices are unlawful. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 11 June 2024

What This Means For You PFAS are pervasive in our environment and can be difficult to avoid. —Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 11 June 2024

Despite all the things Australian public health has gotten right about communicating sun safety, misunderstandings about sunscreen have long been pervasive in the Australian public. —Keren Landman, Vox, 10 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

see pervade

First Known Use

circa 1750, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pervasive

• all-pervasive
• pervasive developmental disorder

Kids Definition

pervasive

adjective

per·​va·​sive pər-ˈvā-siv 

-ziv

: spread throughout so thoroughly as to be seen or felt everywhere

the pervasive influence of television

the pervasive dampness of the mines

pervasively adverb

pervasiveness noun