potentiate

American  

[puh-ten-shee-eyt] / pəˈtɛn ʃiˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

potentiated, potentiating

1. to cause to be potent; make powerful.

2. to increase the effectiveness of; intensify.

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potentiate British  

/ pəˈtɛnʃɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. to cause to be potent

2. med to increase (the individual action or effectiveness) of two drugs by administering them in combination with each other

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Other Word Forms

• potentiation noun
• potentiator noun

Etymology

Origin of potentiate

1810–20; < Latin potenti ( a ) power ( potency ) + -ate ¹

Example Sentences

He said: "In the scientific literature there are some reported synergies between viral respiratory infections, for example, flu and meningococcal infections as the viral infections may potentiate the spread."

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

"Ideally, we aim for venetoclax to potentiate the anti-leukemia properties of asparaginase while keeping its toxicity levels in check. These concepts warrant further investigation in future clinical trials."

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2024

This prompted a Hebbian model in which ‘fear cells’ with co-active inputs conveying the paired CS–US presentations potentiate their responses to subsequent CS presentations1, 3, 5.

From Nature • Mar. 21, 2017

And I think there are also conditions to modernize, to update and to find more advantages, so that it will potentiate shared common possibilities that we, the three partners, the three strategic partners have.

From Time • Jul. 22, 2016

If physicians have given up on the problem and placed a subject on a maintenance drug dosage for pain, hypnosis can potentiate the drugs or even obviate them.

From A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis by Powers, Melvin