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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
Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 3 June 2025
The sight of these electric vehicles pervading the NYC soundscape has become as classic of an image as the yellow cab over the last few years.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 May 2025
Depression is a debilitating condition that pervades all aspects of a person’s life.
—New Atlas, 24 Mar. 2025
Here’s how: The value of the Higgs field that pervades all of space would have to increase—something physicists liken to rolling a boulder up a hill.
—Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 20 May 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 18 Jun. 2025.
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