ubiquitous

adjective

ubiq·​ui·​tous yü-ˈbi-kwə-təs How to pronounce ubiquitous (audio)
: existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered : widespread
a ubiquitous fashion
ubiquitously adverb
ubiquitousness noun

Did you know?

To be sure, the title of the Academy Award-winning 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once (starring Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh as the reluctant hero traversing the multiverse) is the better choice, but may we just say that Ubiquitous would have also made sense as a title? After all, ubiquitous describes the idea of the everything everywhere all at once in the blockbuster movie’s name and does it in one handy four-syllable word. Ubiquitous comes from the noun ubiquity, meaning “presence everywhere or in many places simultaneously,” and both words come ultimately from the Latin word ubique, meaning “everywhere.” Ubiquitous, which has often been used with a touch of exaggeration to describe those things that it seems like you can’t go a day without encountering, is the more popular of the two by a parsec. It may not quite be ubiquitous, but if you keep your eyes and ears open, you’re apt to encounter it quite a bit.

Examples of ubiquitous in a Sentence

Hot dogs are the ideal road trip food—inexpensive, portable, ubiquitous. Paul Lucas, Saveur, June/July 2008
Shawarma is the new street meat. Both a late night favourite and a quick lunch classic, the Middle Eastern dish is now ubiquitous on the streets of Toronto. Chris Dart, Torontoist, 8 Feb. 2007
In major league locker rooms, ice packs are ubiquitous appendages for pitchers, who wrap their shoulder or elbow or both, the better to calm muscles, ligaments and tendons that have been stressed by the unnatural act of throwing a baseball. Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 26 Mar. 2007
It was before the day of the ubiquitous automobile. Given one of those present adjuncts to farm life, John would have ended his career much earlier. As it was, they found him lying by the roadside at dawn one morning after the horses had trotted into the yard with the wreck of the buggy bumping the road behind them. Edna Ferber, "Farmer in the Dell," 1919, in One Basket1949
The company's advertisements are ubiquitous. by that time cell phones had become ubiquitous, and people had long ceased to be impressed by the sight of one
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a perfect world, there would be some logic to getting rid of the equal-time rule, and, quite frankly, the same FCC regulations that force networks to censor four-letter words that are ubiquitous on virtually every other form of media. Josef Adalian, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024 In a ubiquitous digital world, OSS is indispensable for modern businesses. Paul Stovell, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 Near ubiquitous, however, is consternation about the election process as a whole, with Pennsylvania being Ground Zero for an unyielding torrent of partisan propaganda. David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 The hiring out of an enslaved laborer was also ubiquitous and profitable. Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ubiquitous 

Word History

Etymology

see ubiquity

First Known Use

1772, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ubiquitous was in 1772

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near ubiquitous

Cite this Entry

“Ubiquitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ubiquitous. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ubiquitous

adjective
ubiq·​ui·​tous yu̇-ˈbik-wət-əs How to pronounce ubiquitous (audio)
: existing or being everywhere at the same time : constantly encountered : widespread
a ubiquitous fashion
ubiquitously adverb
ubiquitousness noun
ubiquity
-wət-ē
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ubiquitous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!