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 his choice to do so demonstrates how malleable this country’s conception of justice really is: If a defendant is famous and powerful enough, elite lawyers will write in to the newspaper of record to cravenly argue that, as a matter of constitutional law, famous and powerful people actually shouldn’t be subject to the legal system at all.

From Slate

The Floridian has repeatedly and vehemently denied wrongdoing, casting the probe as an attempt to smear his name by powerful enemies he has made in politics.

From BBC

“I do believe your dollar is actually more powerful than your vote. Your dollar is a direct hit or a direct line of support.”

From Salon

The first election of Trump, after the publication of the Access Hollywood tape on which he bragged about sexually violating women by grabbing them by the genitals, was part of what fueled the Women’s March and later #MeToo, both furious responses to the sexual impunity of powerful men.

From Slate

In 2020, Peter Jonas, Carolina Borges-Merjane, and Olena Kim set out to study the structure of mossy fiber synapses, by using a new technique called 'Flash and Freeze' -- a powerful tool, where neurons are frozen right after being stimulated.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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