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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
Curbed Editors, Curbed, 29 Nov. 2024
At first, the nurses mostly provided first aid and trauma care, treating wounds and respiratory infections and rashes from the dirt and mud that pervaded the entire town after the storm.
—Jess Craig, Vox, 17 Nov. 2024
The uncertainty, the instability, the danger that pervades his life worms off the page and into your brain.
—Longreads, 22 Nov. 2024
The theme of capitalism gone awry that can be found in his sci-fi films pervades the atmosphere of OTG, too.
—Issy Van Der Velde, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Pervade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pervade. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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