ubiquitous

adjective · yoo-BIK-wih-tus · /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/

  1. Seeming to appear everywhere at the same time; present or found in many places simultaneously.

In a sentence

  • Smartphones have become so ubiquitous that it is now unusual to see someone without one.
  • The ubiquitous smell of coffee greeted visitors at every corner of the conference.

Usage note. Ubiquitous is slightly hyperbolic by nature; reserve it for things that are genuinely pervasive rather than merely common, to avoid diluting its force.

Where it comes from

English ubiquitous · entered English mid-19th c.

From modern Latin ubiquitosus, built on Latin ubique, meaning 'everywhere' (from ubi, 'where,' plus the generalizing suffix -que). It entered English in the mid-19th century, initially in theological contexts describing God's omnipresence.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Practise “ubiquitous”

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