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

Other Word Forms

• powerfulness noun
• powerfully adverb
• overpowerful adjective
• overpowerfully adverb
• overpowerfulness noun
• quasi-powerful adjective
• quasi-powerfully adverb
• superpowerful adjective
• ultrapowerful adjective
• unpowerful 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

Trade groups representing publishers praised the Anthropic settlement on Friday, noting it sends a big signal to tech companies that are developing powerful artificial intelligence tools.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s a powerful lesson on the importance of being prepared for the perils that can so readily happen in the wilderness,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Even if there no "client list" of the Epstein's rich and powerful comes to light, the victims may will one into existence.

From BBC

Nevertheless, “Preparation for the Next Life” is a powerful assertion of dreams, humanity and hard work, arguing that every person has a past, a future and a story to tell.

From Los Angeles Times

Their mere presence served as powerful reminder that these women — ordinary people who didn’t want any of this — are taking on the president of the United States.

From Salon

Related Words

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