plenipotentiary
Americannoun
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plenipotentiaries
plural
adjective
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invested with full power or authority, as a diplomatic agent.
-
conferring or bestowing full power, as a commission.
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absolute or full, as power.
adjective
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(esp of a diplomatic envoy) invested with or possessing full power or authority
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conferring full power or authority
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(of power or authority) full; absolute
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing plenipotentiary
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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:
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
The agency’s plenipotentiary conference, which takes place every four years, began on Monday in Bucharest, Romania.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 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
And how has this proposition been received by the British plenipotentiary?
From The Oregon Territory Its History and Discovery by Travers Twiss
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
He concluded that he was now ready to discuss with the German and Allied plenipotentiaries at Geneva what should be done, after all, about evacuating the Rhineland.
From Time Magazine Archive
On the 28th of April 1799 the plenipotentiaries on leaving Rastadt were assailed at the gates of the town by Hungarian hussars, probably charged to secure their papers.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 2 "Bohemia" to "Borgia, Francis" by Various
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.
