permeated: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal, Academic, Technical, Literary
Quick answer
What does “permeated” mean?
To spread or diffuse through every part of something, like a liquid, gas, or influence passing into or through a substance or space.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To spread or diffuse through every part of something, like a liquid, gas, or influence passing into or through a substance or space.
To become widespread or deeply ingrained in a situation, culture, or system; to be filled with a particular quality or feeling.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. Spelling is identical. Potential minor differences in typical collocates (e.g., 'permeated with' is common in both).
Connotations
Neutral in both varieties. The term carries the same technical, formal, or literary weight.
Frequency
Slightly more common in academic/technical writing in both varieties. No notable frequency difference between BrE and AmE.
Grammar
How to Use “permeated” in a Sentence
Something permeates something (transitive)Something is permeated by/with something (passive + agent/quality)Something permeates through/into something (intransitive + preposition)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “permeated” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The damp had permeated the old stone walls.
- A sense of optimism permeated the team after the win.
American English
- New regulations have permeated every level of the industry.
- The smell of coffee permeated the entire apartment.
adverb
British English
- The gas spread permeatingly through the chamber.
- Rarely used.
American English
- The ideology was permeatingly present in all media.
- Rarely used.
adjective
British English
- The permeated membrane was ready for analysis.
- A deeply permeated tradition.
American English
- The fabric was completely permeated with the dye.
- A culture permeated by bureaucracy.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used to describe how new management philosophies have permeated the corporate culture.
Academic
Common in sciences (biology, chemistry) to describe diffusion, and in social sciences/humanities for describing the influence of ideas.
Everyday
Less common. Might describe a smell permeating a house or a feeling in a social situation.
Technical
Precise term in physics, chemistry, and materials science for the movement of a substance through a membrane or material.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “permeated”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “permeated”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “permeated”
- Using 'permeate' without the sense of thoroughness (e.g., 'The light permeated a corner' is weak).
- Incorrect preposition: 'permeated in' is less standard than 'permeated with/by/throughout'.
- Overusing in simple contexts where 'filled with' or 'spread through' would be more natural.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a mid-frequency word, common in formal, academic, and technical writing but less common in casual everyday speech.
'Penetrated' focuses on entering or piercing through a barrier. 'Permeated' focuses on spreading throughout and filling the whole of something once inside.
Yes, it is neutral. It can describe positive qualities (hope, fragrance) or negative ones (corruption, smell) spreading.
In passive constructions, 'with' (introducing the quality) and 'by' (introducing the agent) are most common: 'permeated with fear', 'permeated by sunlight'.
To spread or diffuse through every part of something, like a liquid, gas, or influence passing into or through a substance or space.
Permeated is usually formal, academic, technical, literary in register.
Permeated: in British English it is pronounced /ˈpɜː.mi.eɪ.tɪd/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈpɝː.mi.eɪ.t̬ɪd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None directly; it is often used in metaphorical idioms like 'a sense of dread permeated the room'.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine PERfume perMEATED the entire room – the 'MEAT' of the smell is in the middle of the word, spreading everywhere.
Conceptual Metaphor
INFLUENCE IS A FLUID (Ideas, feelings, substances flow and fill a container/space).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'permeated' used CORRECTLY?