influential
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of influential
First recorded in 1560–70; from Medieval Latin influenti(a) “stellar emanation” ( see influence) + -al 1
Explanation
If your grandfather worked his whole life in a circus and inspired you to wear clown shoes, you could describe your grandfather as very influential in your life. Something that exerts influence or power can be called influential. You could read a deeply meaningful book that becomes influential to you, or there might be an important person in your life who is strongly influential over various decisions you make. The Latin word influentem, "flowing in," is the root of the Old French influence, which described the power was believed to flow from the stars.
Vocabulary lists containing influential
Very Necessary: Synonyms for "Important"
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Latin Love, Vol II: fluere
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Unwind
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Cuban officials at Thursday’s meeting included Cuba’s interior minister, Lázaro Alvarez, and Raúl Rodríguez Castro, known as “the Crab,” the influential grandson of nonagenarian Cuban revolutionary leader Raúl Castro.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
After Lincoln’s death Herndon co-wrote an influential biography of the assassinated president in which he trashed Mary and declared that Lincoln’s only true love was Ann Rutledge, who had died in 1835.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
I think it’s extremely influential to who people are — better than astrology, for sure.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
Brown and Harman, two influential and respected figures in the party, met Sir Keir in Downing Street before their roles were announced.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
An influential nineteenth-century manual on medical jurisprudence cited the saying “A medical man, when he sees a dead body, should notice everything.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
