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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
Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2025
Perhaps the thriftiness of southern Pennsylvania, the Amish influence, would pervade.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2025
As a publisher, Bandai Namco has a deep bench of different classic IPs that have pervaded throughout the past several decades — games like Time Crisis, Pac-Man, and Ridge Racer; but not all of them have continued to get regular release.
—Veerender Jubbal, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
But the sense of realism pervades it, not just on the screen, but off, where Beecroft is excited for Sundance, not just for the film, but so she can be reunited with the Zimiga clan.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 23 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 3 Mar. 2025.
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