Did you know?
English speakers borrowed pervade in the mid-17th century from Latin pervadere, meaning "to go through." Pervadere, in turn, was formed by combining the prefix per-, meaning "through," with the verb vadere, meaning "to go." Synonyms of pervade include permeate, impregnate, and saturate. Pervade stresses a spreading diffusion throughout every part of a whole ("art and music pervade every aspect of their lives"). Permeate implies diffusion specifically throughout a material thing ("the smell of freshly baked bread permeated the house"). Impregnate suggests a forceful influence or effect on something throughout ("impregnate the cotton with alcohol"). Saturate is used when nothing more may be taken up or absorbed ("the cloth is saturated with water").
Synonyms
Examples of pervade in a Sentence
Muktita Suhartono Nyimas Laula, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Surely, blues, soul, R&B, and gospel music pervaded my life growing up in the urban landscape of a very Black Memphis.
—Kimberly Bryant, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
Voids could even help to nail down the nature of —elementary particles, once thought to be massless, that pervade the universe while barely interacting with ordinary matter.
—Michael D. Lemonick, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
Even with collaborators like Father John Misty and Jon Baptiste hitching a ride, an unshakeable solitary quality pervades the record.
—Jason Lamphier, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2023
Rock n’ roll is certainly what has most pervaded my works.
—Billboard Italy, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024
Barry Rabe, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, noted the way Mr. Trump has focused on the anxiety over electric vehicles that pervades that auto-making state, one of a handful of swing states where the election is likely to be decided.
—Coral Davenport, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024
What’s more, a compliance mindset that pervades many districts has further hindered them.
—Michael B. Horn, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
While The Man Who Wasn't There certainly reads on paper as another entry into this class, there's a melancholy that pervades the film that proves surprisingly resonant.
—Tim Moffatt, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pervade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Podcast
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!
Dictionary Entries Near pervade
Cite this Entry
“Pervade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pervade. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on pervade
Nglish: Translation of pervade for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of pervade for Arabic Speakers
Share