ubiquitous

adjective

Sayyoo-BIK-wi-tuhs/juˈbɪkwɪtəs//juːˈbɪkwɪtəs//jʉːˈbɪkwɪtəs/

2 meanings of ubiquitous

1
very commonadjective
Spread so widely that it is common in many places or among many people.
Smartphones have become ubiquitous in classrooms over the past decade.
The disease was once ubiquitous across the region but is now rare.
Similarpervasive, common
Oppositerare, scarce, uncommon
2
always showing upadjective
Present, or seeming to be present, everywhere at the same time.
The ubiquitous senator seemed to appear at every county fair in the state that summer.
The ubiquitous host seemed to be in every corner of the crowded party at once, refilling drinks and greeting guests.
Similaromnipresent
Note
This is the older, stronger sense, being everywhere at once, next to the loose "widespread" sense. In everyday use it is said of one person or creature who turns up in too many places to be a single body. Melville gave it a famous outing in 1851, when the sailors of Moby-Dick came to believe the White Whale was ubiquitous, encountered in more than one place at the same time.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Herman Melville wrote Moby-Dick, first published in 1851. en.wikipedia.org
In the novel, sailors believed the White Whale could be encountered in different places simultaneously. gutenberg.org

Practice

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Origin

Latin ubī ("where") joined with -que ("each, ever") gave ubīque ("everywhere"), and Medieval Latin built ubīquitās on it. English ubiquity comes from that noun, and the adjective adds the suffix -ous.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

Latin ubī means “where” and combines with -que (“each, ever”) to form ubīque (“everywhere”). en.wiktionary.org
Medieval Latin formed the noun ubīquitās from ubīque. en.wiktionary.org
English ubiquity derives from Medieval Latin ubīquitās. en.wiktionary.org
Ubiquitous is formed from ubiquity with the suffix -ous. en.wiktionary.org