Permeated With: Standard Pattern
Permeated With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use formal “permeated with” when something is filled throughout by a smell, liquid, gas, quality, or similar presence.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| a place or thing is filled throughout by a smell, liquid, gas, or similar presence | be permeated with + noun | Use the passive “permeated with” pattern. |
| active spreading through something | permeate + object | Use the active verb when the spreading thing is the subject. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Is the subject the thing that is filled throughout by the substance or presence?
If yes: Use “be permeated with.”
If no: If the subject is what spreads through something, use the active verb “permeate” instead.
Examples
The room was permeated with the smell of smoke.
The passive pattern marks what fills the room throughout.
A faint scent permeated the hallway.
The active verb makes the spreading scent the subject.
Further guidance
Construction
Use formal “permeated with” when something is filled throughout by a smell, liquid, gas, quality, or similar presence.
Style Boundary
Oxford directly attests passive “be permeated with” in its spread-through sense. Active “permeate something” and other adverbial complements are separate documented patterns.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- permeate verb — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · Direct Oxford learner-dictionary evidence for passive “be permeated with” when a liquid, gas, smell, or similar substance spreads throughout.