powerful

[pou-er-fuhl]

adjective

1. having or exerting great power or force.

   Synonyms: strong, forceful
   Antonyms: weak

2. physically strong, as a person.

   a large, powerful athlete.

3. producing great physical effects, as a machine or a blow.

4. potent; efficacious.

   a powerful drug.

5. having great effectiveness, as a speech, speaker, description, reason, etc.

   Synonyms: effective, cogent, forcible, convincing, influential

6. having great power, authority, or influence; mighty.

   a powerful nation.

7. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.,  great in number or amount.

   a powerful lot of money.

powerful

/ ˈpaʊəfʊl /

adjective

1. having great power, force, potency, or effect

2. extremely effective or efficient in action

   a powerful drug

   a powerful lens

3. dialect,  large or great

   a powerful amount of trouble

adverb

1. dialect,  extremely; very

   he ran powerful fast

Other Word Forms

• powerfulness noun
• powerfully adverb
• overpowerful adjective
• overpowerfully adverb
• overpowerfulness noun
• quasi-powerful adjective
• quasi-powerfully adverb
• superpowerful adjective
• ultrapowerful adjective
• unpowerful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of powerful¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, powerful is from the Middle English word powarfull. See power, -ful

Synonym Study

Powerful, mighty, potent suggest great force or strength. Powerful suggests capability of exerting great force or overcoming strong resistance: a powerful machine like a bulldozer. Mighty, now chiefly rhetorical, implies uncommon or overwhelming strength of power: a mighty army. Potent implies great natural or inherent power: a potent influence.

Example Sentences

While rivals like Intel got bogged down in costly manufacturing investments, Su focused squarely on what she believes AMD does best: designing ever more powerful semiconductors.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I would say dealing with the industry can be tougher sometimes because of the lack of awareness of how powerful Latino crowds can be.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Its “eye-catching rally” continues to gain momentum, with a “raft of powerful forces” converging to lift prices to record highs, said Nick Cawley, contributing analyst for Solomon Global.

Read more on MarketWatch

Multiple people died and several are unaccounted for after a powerful blast rocked a Tennessee explosives plant, authorities said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the chapter titled “Swami and the Psychedelics,” Capt. Robert “Rio” Hahn travels to Nepal to investigate datura, described as “one of the most mysterious and frighteningly powerful sacred plants.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• all-powerful 
• authoritative 
• capable 
• compelling 
• dominant 
• dynamic 
• energetic 
• forceful 
• impressive 
• influential 
• mighty 
• persuasive 
• potent 
• robust 
• vigorous