Word of the Day

: December 28, 2023

ubiquitous

adjective yoo-BIK-wuh-tuss

What It Means

Ubiquitous is a synonym of widespread and describes things that are actually, or seemingly, seen or encountered everywhere.

// Though they were once a status symbol reserved only for those with considerable means, smartphones are now a ubiquitous technology.

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ubiquitous in Context

“Though she’s been a singer and performer for six decades, Cher had never made one of pop’s most ubiquitous (and commercially viable) releases: a Christmas album.” — Melena Ryzik, The New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023

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.