plenipotentiary

American  

[plen-uh-puh-ten-shee-er-ee, -shuh-ree] / ˌplɛn ə pəˈtɛn ʃiˌɛr i, -ʃə ri /

noun

• plenipotentiaries
  plural

1. a person, especially a diplomatic agent, invested with full power or authority to transact business on behalf of another.

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adjective

1. invested with full power or authority, as a diplomatic agent.

2. conferring or bestowing full power, as a commission.

3. absolute or full, as power.

plenipotentiary British  

/ ˌplɛnɪpəˈtɛnʃərɪ /

adjective

1. (esp of a diplomatic envoy) invested with or possessing full power or authority

2. conferring full power or authority

3. (of power or authority) full; absolute

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noun

1. a person invested with full authority to transact business, esp a diplomat authorized to represent a country See also envoy 1

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• plenipotentiaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of plenipotentiary

From the Medieval Latin word plēnipotentiārius, dating back to 1635–45. See plenipotent, -i-, -ary

Explanation

An ambassador who independently represents their home country in another country can be called a plenipotentiary. The word plenipotentiary comes from Latin roots, plenus, "complete or full," and potentem, "powerful." Someone who is a plenipotentiary literally has full powers to represent their government — the prime minister or president has officially authorized them to sign treaties or other agreements on behalf of that government. Some (but not all) diplomats are plenipotentiaries.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plenipotentiary plenipotentiaries

Speer was given a 20-year prison sentence while Fritz Sauckel, Hitler’s general plenipotentiary for labor mobilization, was hanged for almost exactly the same crimes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025

According to Marcin Horala, the Polish government's plenipotentiary responsible for overseeing the hub's construction, it is one of the most important projects underway in central and eastern Europe for military and civilian use.

From Reuters ● Nov. 21, 2022

Among those attending the event will be Newark town mayor Laurence Goff, Jan Dziedziczak, the Polish government's plenipotentiary for Poles abroad and Wojciech Labuda, the Polish Prime Minister's plenipotentiary for memorial site protection.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2022

The third and final point of the plan would grant the region its own prime minister, who would be “a legitimate and plenipotentiary representative of ARD in talks with international structures.”

From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2022

Then, armed as he was with plenipotentiary power, he offered the elector of Saxony peace on his own terms.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various

They were appointed as "plenipotentiaries" and yet were instructed not take any final decisions without their cabinet's permission.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2021

In his biography, Will to Power, Ronan Fanning accused de Valera of failing to explain his strategy properly to the plenipotentiaries before the talks began.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2021

The US President, Woodrow Wilson, briefly raised the question of women’s political representation with his fellow plenipotentiaries, but few wished to see women’s rights recognized as a legitimate matter for international agreement.

From Time ● Apr. 2, 2015

Protocol demanded that all of the 102 plenipotentiaries be introduced.

From Time Magazine Archive

But a congress to adjust a treaty met at Aix-la-Chapelle in March 1748, and in April the preliminaries of a treaty were signed by the British and French and Dutch plenipotentiaries.

From Lord Chatham His Early Life and Connections by Rosebery, Archibald Phillip Primrose