omnipresent
om-nih-PREZ-unt
/ˌɒm.nɪˈprez.ənt/
Present everywhere at the same time.
Used religiously to describe divine pervasive presence, and metaphorically for widespread modern phenomena like smartphones.
The story behind the word. Formed in late Middle English from Latin 'omnis' (all) + 'praesens' (present, directly before one).
Word relationships
- ubiquitous: 'Ubiquitous' is more common in secular contexts (e.g., ubiquitous smartphones), whereas 'omnipresent' leans religious or dramatic.
- pervasive: 'Pervasive' often implies spreading everywhere through a medium, while 'omnipresent' means existing everywhere at once.
- absent: Not present in a place.
- localized: Restricted to a particular place or spot.
Commonly confused with
- omnipotent: Omnipresent means present everywhere; omnipotent means all-powerful.
Word family
- omnipresence (noun): The state of being widespread or present everywhere at once.
Collocations
- omnipresent force
- omnipresent God
- omnipresent influence
Example sentences
- "Believers find comfort in praying to an omnipresent God who is nearby in times of distress." Theology
- "In the digital age, social media surveillance has become almost omnipresent in daily life." Cultural Commentary
Memory hook
OMNI (all) + PRESENT (here right now) = PRESENT ALL OVER. Everywhere at all times.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'ubiquitous' in tone, though they are synonyms—omnipresent carries stronger spiritual connotations.
Fun facts
- Along with omnipotence and omniscience, omnipresence forms the classic 'Three Omnis' of divine attributes in Western philosophy.
Related words
Explore more words
ubiquitous, immanent, omnipotence, eternal, around the clock, constant
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.