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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").
Examples of pervade in a Sentence
Claire Franken, TVLine, 13 Mar. 2025
While the speed at which artificial intelligence (A.I.) is pervading mainstream society could seemingly break the sound barrier, aviation authorities are taking a slower, more cautious approach to its potential applications in the cockpit.
—Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2025
With hydrogen and some helium gas pervading the cosmos, there was nothing much around to make light.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 30 Jan. 2025
Volodin's comments add to a climate of nuclear threats that has pervaded U.S-Russian ties since the start of Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pervade
Cite this Entry
“Pervade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pervade. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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