Practice
Ubiquitous: meaning and examples in English
Sign in to saveAt a busy airport, screens, charging points, and people checking their phones may seem to be everywhere. In that context, you can call smartphones ubiquitous.
Use ubiquitous to describe something found or seen in many places within a particular context, and choose a more exact word when needed.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
ubiquitous /juːˈbɪk.wɪ.təs/
The short answer
Ubiquitous means present or found in many places, especially so often that it seems to be everywhere in the situation you are describing.
Smartphone charging points are ubiquitous in the new airport terminal.
Why it works: The charging points appear in many parts of the terminal, so travellers notice them often.
4 more examples
-
Contactless payment is ubiquitous in the cafés near the university.
Customers encounter this payment method in café after café in that area.
Not this:Contactless payment
is commonin the cafés near the university. What changes: Common means frequent. Ubiquitous gives a stronger sense that the payment method is present almost everywhere there. -
Blue recycling bins are ubiquitous across the campus.
The bins appear across many campus locations, from academic buildings to outdoor spaces.
Not this:Blue recycling bins
are widespreadacross the campus. What changes: Widespread stresses distribution over a large area. Ubiquitous also suggests a frequent, noticeable presence. -
Short video clips have become ubiquitous in online news feeds.
The clips now appear repeatedly as people move through many news feeds.
Not this:Short video clips
have become popularin online news feeds. What changes: Popular describes what many people like. Ubiquitous describes what appears in many places. -
During the conference, name badges were ubiquitous in the lobby and meeting rooms.
Attendees saw name badges throughout the event spaces.
Not this:During the conference, name badges
were universalfor registered attendees. What changes: Universal means every member of a stated group has something. Ubiquitous means something appears in many places.
Read the full guide
First, name the setting. Ubiquitous does not usually mean that something exists in every place on earth. It describes a strong impression of wide presence within a relevant place, group, period, or activity.
Start with the setting
Use ubiquitous when something appears again and again in a setting that you can name. The setting might be a city, workplace, website, event, or period of time. This limit helps the listener understand what you mean by almost everywhere.
Reusable water bottles were ubiquitous at the outdoor festival.
Use ubiquitous with things that people encounter
Ubiquitous commonly describes technology, signs, products, habits, images, and sounds. It works when people repeatedly come across the thing. Use it carefully with abstract nouns, and explain the evidence when the claim belongs in a formal report.
Wireless internet is now ubiquitous in many public libraries.
Separate ubiquitous from nearby words
Common means frequent, but it does not always suggest that you meet something at every turn. Widespread means distributed over a broad area. Universal is stronger and can mean that every person or item in a stated group is included. Ubiquitous focuses on a very noticeable presence in many places.
A common bus route runs often. A widespread bus network covers a large area. Ubiquitous route maps appear throughout the station.
Match the tone to the context
The word is neutral by itself. Your noun and the rest of the sentence show whether the presence is useful or unwelcome. In a review, ubiquitous can explain why a trend feels hard to ignore. In a report, add the place, period, or group instead of making a broad claim without support.
The report describes QR codes as ubiquitous in the shopping district, with examples from each street.
Build a precise sentence
Try the pattern something is ubiquitous in or throughout a named setting. You can also write ubiquitous use of something. Say yoo-BIK-wi-tus, then keep the middle syllables light.
A town has bicycle lanes on most main streets, and visitors notice them wherever they go. Does ubiquitous fit?
Yes. You could say, Bicycle lanes are ubiquitous on the town's main streets. The phrase names the place and explains the wide presence.
Before you go
Remember this
Use ubiquitous for something that appears in many places and feels almost everywhere within a clear context. Choose common for frequency, widespread for broad distribution, and universal when every member of a stated group is included.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Ubiquitous: meaning and examples in English"
What does ubiquitous mean?
Ubiquitous means present or found in many places, often so frequently that it seems to be everywhere in a particular setting. The setting matters: something may be ubiquitous in one city, event, or website without being present everywhere else.
Smartphone charging points are ubiquitous in the new airport terminal.
How do you use ubiquitous in a sentence?
Use ubiquitous before a noun or after be. You can write about ubiquitous technology, ubiquitous advertising, or ubiquitous use of mobile phones. Name the place, group, or period when possible, so the reader knows the scope of your claim.
Smartphone charging points are available near two gates in the old terminal.
What is the difference between ubiquitous and common?
Common means frequent or ordinary. Ubiquitous is stronger: it suggests that something appears in many places and is hard to avoid noticing within the stated context. A feature may be common in a city without seeming ubiquitous there.
Contactless payment is ubiquitous in the cafés near the university.
Is ubiquitous positive or negative?
Ubiquitous is neutral on its own. It can sound positive when it describes useful access, such as public transport, or negative when it describes something unwanted, such as intrusive advertising. The noun and surrounding context give the word its tone.
Contactless payment is common in the cafés near the university.
How do you pronounce ubiquitous?
Ubiquitous is pronounced /juːˈbɪk.wɪ.təs/. Say yoo-BIK-wi-tus, with the main stress on BIK. It is an adjective, so it often comes before a noun such as technology, signs, or use.
Blue recycling bins are ubiquitous across the campus.