powerful Hear it!

powerful definition

pow·er·ful (po̵u′ər fəl)

adjective

having much power; strong or influential

adverb

Dialectal very

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

powerful Synonyms

powerful

modif.

  1. Wielding power

    mighty, all-powerful, almighty, superhuman, omnipotent, overpowering, great, invincible, dominant, indomitable, influential, authoritative, overruling, potent, puissant, forceful, forcible, compelling, ruling, prevailing, preeminent, commanding, supreme, highest, important, authoritarian, charismatic, paramount, ruthless, in the saddle, having the upper hand, in control; see also predominant 1.

    Antonyms weak*, incompetent*, impotent. *

  2. Strong

    robust, stalwart, sturdy; see strong 1, 2.

  3. Effective

    efficacious, effectual, convincing; see persuasive.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

powerful Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: But this time he had made something much more powerful, however completely harmless, or so he thought.

Modifies a noun

  • tool: The spatial linear model provides a powerful tool to model such behavior.

Modifying Another Word

  • immensely: This was the era in which the myth of Sherlock Holmes proved immensely powerful.

Infinitive complement

  • kill: In sea anemones the tentacles contain the stinging cells and in some species they are powerful enough to kill small fish and prawns.

Used with adjective complement

  • become: He was sure that an alliance with Germany would lead to Italy becoming more powerful throughout Europe.

Preposition: for

  • spectator: This effect is VERY powerful for spectators to experience.
powerful usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

powerful quotes

   This republic has been much more powerful than it is at present, as it is still likelier, to sink than increase in its dominions.

-Addison,Joseph

No wonder the really powerful men in our society, whether politicians or scientists, hold writers in contempt.Theydoit becausetheyget no evidence from modern literature that anybody is thinking about any significant question.

-Bellow, Saul

As I was saying when I was interrupted, it is a powerful hard thing to please all of the people all of the time.

-Connor, Sir William Neil pseudonym Cassandra

powerful quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"powerful." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
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powerful. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/powerful

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