powerful

[ pou-er-fuhl ]

adjective

1. having or exerting great power or force.

   Synonyms: strong, forceful

   Antonyms: weak

2. physically strong, as a person:

   a large, powerful athlete.

3. producing great physical effects, as a machine or a blow.
4. potent; efficacious:

   a powerful drug.

5. having great effectiveness, as a speech, speaker, description, reason, etc.

   Synonyms: effective, cogent, forcible, convincing, influential

6. having great power, authority, or influence; mighty:

   a powerful nation.

7. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. great in number or amount:

   a powerful lot of money.

powerful

/ ˈpaʊəfʊl /

adjective

1. having great power, force, potency, or effect
2. extremely effective or efficient in action

   a powerful drug

   a powerful lens

3. dialect.
   large or great

   a powerful amount of trouble

adverb

1. dialect.
   extremely; very

   he ran powerful fast

Derived Forms

• ˈpowerfulness, noun
• ˈpowerfully, adverb

Other Words From

• power·ful·ly adverb
• power·ful·ness noun
• over·power·ful adjective
• over·power·ful·ly adverb
• over·power·ful·ness noun
• quasi-power·ful adjective
• quasi-power·ful·ly adverb
• super·power·ful adjective
• ultra·power·ful adjective
• un·power·ful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of powerful¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, powerful is from the Middle English word powarfull. See power, -ful

Synonym Study

Powerful, mighty, potent suggest great force or strength. Powerful suggests capability of exerting great force or overcoming strong resistance: a powerful machine like a bulldozer. Mighty, now chiefly rhetorical, implies uncommon or overwhelming strength of power: a mighty army. Potent implies great natural or inherent power: a potent influence.

Example Sentences

But the tough carbon-fluorine bonds in the compounds resist being torn apart, leading to expensive remediation schemes that rely on powerful chemicals and high temperatures and pressures.

From Science Magazine

The Sinn Féin deputy leader added that his "strength and courage in the face of illness served as an inspiration to many, as he became a powerful advocate for raising awareness of cancer".

From BBC

Lithium-ion batteries are set to become even more powerful with new materials for the cathodes.

From Science Daily

“When we’re really emotionally stimulated, it makes it so much more challenging to have civil conversation. For politicians, I think that’s powerful, because emotions can be very easily manipulated.”

From Los Angeles Times

Ross’ 2018 Oscar-nominated documentary, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” depicted the lives of Black people in a disenfranchised Alabama community with powerful, poetic imagery that demanded your full attention.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• all-powerful
• authoritative
• capable
• compelling
• dominant
• dynamic
• energetic
• forceful
• impressive
• influential
• mighty
• persuasive
• potent
• robust
• vigorous