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ubiquitous

yoo-BIK-wi-tuhs /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/

adjectiveC1GRESATGMATUPSC

formalacademic

Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.

Ubiquitous implies that something is so common that it is impossible to escape or ignore. It is often used to describe technology, cultural trends, or famous faces.

The story behind the word. Ubiquitous is derived from the Latin word 'ubique', which simply means 'everywhere.' It was originally used in religious debates in the 16th century to describe the omnipresence of the divine, but eventually trickled down into secular language to describe everything from coffee shops to pop songs.

Word relationships

omnipresent: Omnipresent has a more spiritual or literal meaning (like God being everywhere), while ubiquitous is used for physical objects and cultural trends.
pervasive: Pervasive means spreading widely throughout an area or group, often with a negative or subtle influence (e.g., a pervasive smell or fear).

rare: Rare means not occurring often, or highly unusual.
scarce: Scarce means insufficient for the demand, or hard to find due to limits.

Commonly confused with

universal: Universal means applicable to all cases or people; ubiquitous means physically present everywhere.

Word family

ubiquity (noun): The state of being everywhere at once.
ubiquitously (adverb): In a way that is present everywhere.

Collocations

ubiquitous presence
become ubiquitous
ubiquitous influence
ubiquitous technology

Example sentences

"The ubiquitous cell phone has transformed the way humans interact, work, and record their lives." Discussing modern technology
"By the late 1990s, the company's green logo had become ubiquitous in every major city in the world." Describing a dominant brand

Memory hook

It sounds like 'you big quick us'—imagine a giant, fast-moving crowd that surrounds 'us' everywhere we go. Ubi (where) + quitous (everywhere you look).

When not to use

Do not use ubiquitous for something that is merely common in one specific place; it must feel like it is everywhere globally or contextually.

Fun facts

The term 'ubiquitous computing' (or ubicomp) is a real field of computer science where technology is integrated so seamlessly into our environments that we don't even notice it.