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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
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 8 Apr. 2025
Following their first win of the season the night before, a much lighter mood pervaded the Twins clubhouse Wednesday morning despite a forecast full of rain.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Following their first win of the season the night before, a much lighter mood pervaded the Twins clubhouse Wednesday morning despite a forecast full of rain.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Step into Washington's Capital One Arena, and the number 895 pervades every curve of the concourse — there's even a stack of exactly that many pucks, topped by a goal horn waiting for a certain historic moment to blare.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 23 Mar. 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 20 Apr. 2025.
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