adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- omnipotence noun
- omnipotently adverb
- unomnipotent adjective
- unomnipotently adverb
Etymology
Origin of omnipotent
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin omnipotent-, stem of omnipotēns “all-powerful”; equivalent to omni- + potent 1
Explanation
If you want to describe someone who can do absolutely anything, reach for the adjective omnipotent. Omnipotent comes from the Latin words for total (omni) and power (potent). Omnipotent is frequently used for deities, but can apply to any exaggerated description of power. If you think that love rules the world, then to you, love is omnipotent. On the other hand, if you think that brute force wins, then maybe your idea of an omnipotent person is a mob boss. The stress is on the second syllable: om-NIP-uh-tent.
Vocabulary lists containing omnipotent
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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Grade 9, List 2
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A Wrinkle in Time
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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.
Yet economic policy-makers are neither omniscient nor omnipotent.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026
It could inflate the ego, create a false understanding of reality and, in some bizarre instances, make him believe he is omnipotent.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026
The great and powerful Oz, though, is precisely as powerful as our willingness to suspend disbelief that something that sits by design in front of a curtain is perfect, godlike, and omnipotent.
From Slate • Jul. 21, 2025
Speaking to the BBC, Tunstall says the film's was "omnipotent" in the 90s and influenced everything from the clothes people wore to the music people listened to.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025
If the series of events had been planned by an omnipotent and unforgiving enemy it could not have been more effective.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
