po·tent
ˈpō-tᵊnt 
1
: having or wielding force, authority, or influence : powerful
2
: achieving or bringing about a particular result : effective
3
a
: chemically or medicinally effective
a potent vaccine
b
: rich in a characteristic constituent
a potent drink
4
: able to copulate
—usually used of the male
potently
adverb
of a heraldic cross
: having flat bars across the ends of the arms see cross illustration
Synonyms
Examples of potent in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2024
Popular Strains: White Widow: A classic hybrid strain that is potent, balanced, and easy to grow.
—Anna Miller, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
The production toured more extensively than earlier variations and featured the potent special effects of flames and actors spurting blood and flying via wires.
—Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
There is a bookshelf to the left of the bar and the corporatized but still-interesting urban ballet of Twelfth Street beyond the restaurant’s tall windows, and then there is the potent drink before us.
—Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024
Chemical processing yields a concentrated, and potent THC extract.
—John Diedrich, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Ashley Okwuosa, The Examination | Amy Yurkanin, Al.com, Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024
In one way, Rachel was lucky: only about one-fifth of people nationwide who have an opioid-use disorder receive either buprenorphine or methadone, both of which stave off withdrawal from more potent opioids and allow a person to function.
—Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Photo : Lucid Motors Lucid Air Sapphire Lucid’s Air Dream Edition debuted in 2021 with 1,111 hp, disrupting the miniscule EV sedan space with a disarmingly potent offering.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024
For anyone who came of age in the late nineties and still recalls the moment in which grunge (fading) and pop-punk (ascendant) had a brief but potent sartorial collision, the look of the Guts tour, both onstage and off, will feel deeply familiar.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Dawn of the Dead (1978) George Romero’s classic consumer satire about a group of survivors hiding out from a zombie apocalypse in a shopping mall has only grown more potent, more sharp, and more ferocious with age.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2024
Popular Strains: White Widow: A classic hybrid strain that is potent, balanced, and easy to grow.
—Anna Miller, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
The production toured more extensively than earlier variations and featured the potent special effects of flames and actors spurting blood and flying via wires.
—Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
There is a bookshelf to the left of the bar and the corporatized but still-interesting urban ballet of Twelfth Street beyond the restaurant’s tall windows, and then there is the potent drink before us.
—Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024
Chemical processing yields a concentrated, and potent THC extract.
—John Diedrich, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Ashley Okwuosa, The Examination | Amy Yurkanin, Al.com, Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024
In one way, Rachel was lucky: only about one-fifth of people nationwide who have an opioid-use disorder receive either buprenorphine or methadone, both of which stave off withdrawal from more potent opioids and allow a person to function.
—Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Photo : Lucid Motors Lucid Air Sapphire Lucid’s Air Dream Edition debuted in 2021 with 1,111 hp, disrupting the miniscule EV sedan space with a disarmingly potent offering.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024
For anyone who came of age in the late nineties and still recalls the moment in which grunge (fading) and pop-punk (ascendant) had a brief but potent sartorial collision, the look of the Guts tour, both onstage and off, will feel deeply familiar.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'potent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near potent
Cite this Entry
“Potent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potent. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
potent
adjective
po·tent
ˈpōt-ᵊnt
1
: having force or power
2
: chemically or medicinally effective
a potent vaccine
3
: able to copulate
—usually used of the male
potently
adverb
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