powerful

adjective pow·er·ful \ ˈpau̇(-ə)r-fəl \

Definition of powerful

1 :having great power, prestige, or influence

a powerful leader

2 :leading to many or important deductions

a powerful set of postulates

—

powerfully

play \-f(ə-)lē\ adverb

See powerful defined for English-language learners

See powerful defined for kids

Examples of powerful in a Sentence

The country is becoming more and more powerful.
powerful drugs that attack cancer cells
The cash bonus provides a powerful incentive to workers.
The perfume has a powerful smell.
It's a very powerful movie.
The dog has a powerful body.
She has a powerful voice.
The weapons are very powerful.
The aardvark uses its powerful claws to dig for food.

Recent Examples of powerful from the Web

These powerful photos capture the scene on the ground in San Francisco and Berkeley.

— jordyn taylor, Glamour, "46 Powerful Photos That Capture the Weekend's Protests in San Francisco and Berkeley," 29 Aug. 2017
Nathaniel Bryan Several high school football teams around the state returned powerful backfield players this season, but Male has a junior tandem which has been right up there with best in the bluegrass.

— nate bryan, The Courier-Journal, "Male Bulldogs' Garrett Dennis, Henry Vestal add versatility, spark to offense," 26 Aug. 2017
Supported by a solid backing band, Bentley delivered a highly polished, arena-worthy concert that was at once powerful and vulnerable, much like Bentley himself.

— michael james rocha, sandiegouniontribune.com, "From Nashville bar gigs to arena concerts, Dierks Bentley takes bro-country to new heights," 26 Aug. 2017
According to the Associated Press, Harvey came is the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, Carla was the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Hurricane Harvey Is Now A Tropical Storm," 26 Aug. 2017
The center says Harvey has maximum wind speeds of 120 mph (193.11 kph) as the powerful storm churns off the Texas coast.

— Bloomberg.com, "URGENT: The Latest: Hurricane Harvey Strengthens to Category 4," 25 Aug. 2017
Several attempts were made to push it through, but each was stopped by the powerful Alaska congressional delegation, especially Republican Sen. Ted Stevens.

— rocky barker, idahostatesman, "Andrus’ legacy: Idaho’s wild spaces, schools, nuclear cleanup," 25 Aug. 2017
There is no right and wrong kind of powerful woman.

— mehera bonner, Marie Claire, "Patty Jenkins Just Flawlessly Shut Down James Cameron's 'Wonder Woman' Diss," 25 Aug. 2017
Consider this your IT list for the most powerful acne-fighters out there.

— nicole catanese, Cosmopolitan, "8 Acne-Fighting Ingredients You Need To Use Now," 23 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'powerful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of powerful

15th century

powerful Synonyms

Synonyms

heavy, heavy-duty, influential, mighty, potent, important, puissant, significant, strong

Antonyms

helpless, impotent, insignificant, little, powerless, unimportant, weak

Related Words

high-level, senior, top; able, capable, competent, effective, efficient; authoritarian, autocratic (also autocratical), despotic, dictatorial, magisterial, tyrannical (also tyrannic); celebrated, distinguished, dominant, eminent, famed, famous, great, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, notorious, outstanding, preeminent, prestigious, prominent, renowned; dynamic, energetic, forceful, high-powered, robust, vigorous

Near Antonyms

feeble, flimsy, frail, infirm; anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown; incapable, incompetent, ineffective, inept, inexpert, unfit, unqualified, unskilled, unskillful

POWERFUL Defined for English Language Learners

powerful

adjective

Definition of powerful for English Language Learners

: having the ability to control or influence people or things
: having a strong effect on someone or something
: having or producing a lot of physical strength or force

POWERFUL Defined for Kids

powerful

adjective pow·er·ful \ ˈpau̇-ər-fəl \

Definition of powerful for Students

:full of or having power, strength, or influence

powerful magnets

a powerful speech

—

powerfully

\-fə-lē\ adverb

Learn More about powerful

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for powerful Spanish Central: Translation of powerful Nglish: Translation of powerful for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of powerful for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up powerful? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

powerful

Definition of powerful

powerfully

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of powerful in a Sentence

Recent Examples of powerful from the Web

First Known Use of powerful

powerful Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

POWERFUL Defined for English Language Learners

powerful

Definition of powerful for English Language Learners

POWERFUL Defined for Kids

powerful

Definition of powerful for Students

powerfully

Learn More about powerful

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Forms of Government Quiz

Words of the Year: 1066