potentate
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of potentate
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin potentātus potentate, Latin: power, dominion. See potent 1, -ate 3
Explanation
A potentate is a person so powerful that he or she doesn't have to follow the rules that govern everyone else. Potentate normally refers to a king or dictator, but you can call anyone with virtually unlimited power a potentate. The king of a country, the conductor of an orchestra, the commander of a battleship—all of these are examples of a potentate. Take a look at potentate, and you'll see the word potent, which means "powerful," as in "that's one potent cup o' joe!" It's easy to see, then, how potent becomes potentate just by adding a few letters. A potentate is a powerful person. Anna Wintour is a potentate of the fashion world, and her decisions can make or break whole careers.
Vocabulary lists containing potentate
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
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"My Wonder Horse," Vocabulary from the short story
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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.
Stripping away the amour propre of a nuclear-armed potentate is a dangerous business.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025
With the cabinet not having met since 2018, all power flows through him, and like a potentate he receives a string of local officials and foreign dignitaries at his retreat.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2025
Feinstein ruled over San Francisco like a potentate, hands on and fingernails dug in.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2023
At last year’s Barcelona Olympics, he was treated more as a potentate or rock star than a basketball player.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2022
Next follows the Ambassador of the King on a mule, with gorgeous caparisons of stamped green and red leather, bearing the tiger rampant, the arms of the great potentate his master.
From March to Magdala by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
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.
