omnipotence
AmericanEtymology
Origin of omnipotence
First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin omnipotentia, from Latin omnipotent-, stem of omnipotēns “all-powerful” ( see omnipotent) + -ia -y 3 ( def. ); see -ence
Explanation
Omnipotence is unlimited power. Bosses who behave as if they have omnipotence believe they have absolute power over the employees, maybe even down to the type of ink pens they are allowed to use. The noun omnipotence describes having an enormous amount of power, or even an infinite amount. A giant corporation might appear to have omnipotence because of the control it has over its workers, the power it holds in government, and the monopoly it might have in its industry — it seems to be everywhere. Omnipotence basically means the quality of being Godlike. To pronounce it correctly, say "om-NIH-poe-tense."
Vocabulary lists containing omnipotence
A Brief History of Time
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Doctor Faustus
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 4
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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.
Peak lunacy is reached at the Omnipotence City, where the universe’s gods hang out.
From Washington Times • Jul. 5, 2022
Sometimes his comic instincts do pay off, as when Thor, Jane and friends crash a neo-Olympian, Vegas-ready paradise called Omnipotence City, where Crowe’s Zeus preens, prances and speaks in a hilariously awful Greek accent.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2022
Omnipotence suddenly turns to helplessness, brutality to compassion.
From Time Magazine Archive
No, we should injure Heaven by that surmise; Omnipotence is just, were Man but wise.
From Time Magazine Archive
Very reluctantly, Hamlin decided that the time for peace might be far distant, if the designs of Omnipotence were rightly apprehended by him.
From The Soul of Susan Yellam by Vachell, Horace Annesley
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.
