pervasive

per·va·sive

adjective \pər-ˈvā-siv, -ziv\

Definition of PERVASIVE

: existing in or spreading through every part of something <a pervasive odor>

— per·va·sive·ly adverb

— per·va·sive·ness noun

Examples of PERVASIVE

1. the pervasive nature of the problem
2. television's pervasive influence on our culture
3. A resuscitated orthodoxy, so pervasive as to be nearly invisible, rules the land. —Mark Slouka, Harper's, November 2004
4. The manic money-grab excitement of the Nineties had never been altogether free of our pervasive American guilt. —Norman Mailer, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002
5. Race was never articulated as an issue at the trial, even though its presence was pervasive. —Howard Chua-Eoan, Time, 6 Mar. 2000

Origin of PERVASIVE

(see pervade)

First Known Use: circa 1750

Rhymes with PERVASIVE

abrasive, assuasive, corrasive, dissuasive, embracive, evasive, persuasive