pervasive
Spreading widely throughout an area or group
Examples
In a meeting
“Remote work has become pervasive in the tech industry since 2020.”
Over coffee
“The smell of coffee is pervasive in this neighborhood—there's a café on every corner.”
Why this word
widespread
pervasive emphasizes thorough penetration throughout, widespread just means broadly distributed
common
common means frequently occurring, pervasive means spreading through every part of something
prevalent
prevalent means generally existing, pervasive emphasizes diffusion into all areas or aspects
Usage tip
Use to describe something that's not just common but thoroughly spread throughout; stronger than 'widespread' or 'common'
Etymology
Latin 'pervadere' from 'per-' (through) + 'vadere' (to go)
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Related words
encompass
To include or contain a wide range of things.
perpetual
Never ending or changing; occurring continuously.
ample
More than enough; plentiful and sufficient.
versatile
Able to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities.
inadvertent
Not resulting from or achieved through deliberate planning; unintentional.
broaden
Make wider in scope or range