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.

Related Words

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