ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsPpermeate
ISEE/SSAThard
permeate
Meaning: to spread through every part of something
permeate in a sentence
How permeate is used in real sentences:
The scent of pine began to permeate the cabin.
Smoke from the distant wildfire began to permeate the valley by dusk.
“The sound left Dorian suddenly forlorn, his smugness gone, while the odor from below seemed to permeate the spotless library and settle into its curtains.”
— from the passage The Refusal at Ashdown
Synonyms for permeate
Other words for permeate — pervade, saturate and suffuse — carry the same meaning.
- pervade
- saturate
- suffuse
Antonyms of permeate
Words that mean the opposite of permeate:
- block
- contain
- exclude
Where it comes from
From Latin permeare, meaning 'to pass through.'
Word parts
- per — through, thoroughly
permeate: per- (through) + me (go) + -ate (verb ending)
Memory hook
PERMEATE sounds like 'permit': a smell permitted everywhere can permeate a room.