Standard Lemma guide

pervious

adj · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɜː.vɪ.əs/
  • General-American: /ˈpɜɹ.vi.əs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)viəs

1

adj

Meaning 1

Often followed by to: capable of being penetrated by another body or substance, such as air or water; admitting passage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonym: porous
  • a pervious soil

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: penetrable, permeable, perviable, porous

Antonyms: impervious, impenetrable, impermeable, unpervious

2

adj

Meaning 2

Capable of being seen through; open to being examined; patent, unconcealed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perspicuous, transparent

Antonyms: impervious, unpervious

3

adj

Meaning 3

Capable of being penetrated mentally; intelligible, understandable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perspicuous, transparent

Antonyms: impervious, unpervious

4

adj

Meaning 4

Of a person, etc.: susceptible to being influenced by arguments, ideas, etc.; impressionable, tractable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Capable of penetrating or permeating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pervading

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Of a body structure (especially the nostril of a bird): having a hole, perforate; also, wide open.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences, zoology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

admitting of passage or entrance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • pervious soil
  • a metal pervious to heat

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: impervious

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pervius (“having a passage through; passable, penetrable, traversable”) + English -ous (suffix denoting the presence of a quality in any degree (typically an abundance)). Pervius is derived from per- (prefix denoting doing something all the way through or entirely) + via (“road, street; method, way; (figurative) course, route”) + -us (suffix forming adjectives)