potency
Americannoun
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potencies
plural
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the state or quality of being potent.
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the potency of God's word.
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capacity to be, become, or develop; potentiality.
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a person or thing exerting power or influence.
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Mathematics. cardinal number.
noun
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the state or quality of being potent
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latent or inherent capacity for growth or development
Usage
What does potency mean? Potency means strength and effectiveness. It is most commonly used in the context of medications and drugs in reference to how strong or effective they are or are capable of being. It can also be used in a more general way to refer to the power or effectiveness of someone or something, such as a leader or a statement. Potency is the noun form of the adjective potent, which generally means powerful but is commonly applied to things that produce a powerful physical or chemical effect. Example: The medication will lose its potency if kept in the sunlight.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of potency
From the Latin word potentia, dating back to 1530–40. See potent 1, -ency
Explanation
Use the noun potency when you're talking about the strength of something. You could refer to the potency of a drug or the potency of a political leader. Potency is an official measurement in pharmacology, or the science of prescribing drugs. It's also useful for describing a person's power or authority over others. The Latin root word is potentia, or "power," and its origin goes all the way back to the Sanskrit word for "master or husband," patih. The word potency has historically been associated with men, but it's fine to use it to describe a woman's power too.
Vocabulary lists containing potency
The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor
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Novel Study: The Scarlet Letter, Chapters 9–15
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 17
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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.
See Examples For:
On the new release, Mr. Iyer’s “Fire City,” which he first recorded with that group, gets distilled into fresh potency through the urgent and sometimes pleading tones of Mr. Threadgill’s saxophone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Barcola has become a main target for Liverpool as they look to add potency to their attack following the departures of Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah in the past two summers.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
"This finding is unprecedented for a viral polymerase inhibitor and demonstrates the extraordinary antiviral potency of this drug."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
A rave likely loses its FOMO-inducing potency when it feels as if you can go to one all the time at your local mall.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
“But I can decrease the half-life while simultaneously making the potency tenfold.”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
If superhero fare has made even cosmic catastrophe seem banal, and you want to reconnect to the small-scale vicious potencies of real life, watch this.
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2023
He'll say things like, "Is this your first foray?" and "There are different potencies of aroma."
From BusinessWeek ● Jun. 16, 2011
As digital video media become all the more universally ubiquitous, so it seems artists throughout the world are increasingly re-embracing the primal potencies of drawing with an almost perverse timeliness.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 22, 2011
Instead, we can remind ourselves of what it's for: enriching and amplifying our potencies.
From BBC ● May 7, 2010
But other potencies there are in Middle-earth, powers of night, and they are old and strong.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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.
