1
as in authoritative
having power over the minds or behavior of others
in light of the effect that they have had, religious leaders such as Jesus and Muḥammad must be regarded as among the most influential people ever
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in powerful
having great power or influence
a particularly influential politician got the team a new ballpark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of influential
Despite support from Republicans like Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, increasingly influential conservative commentators in the state almost immediately came out in opposition to Schwinn.
—
Erica Meltzer, The Tennessean, 2 Aug. 2025
Time omitted him from its ranking, a choice that no doubt will be viewed by many as just another example in a pattern of dismissing influential alternative voices.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
Helen Lyndon Goff was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, yet most people have never heard of her.
—Matthew Scogin, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Nan is the Duchess of Tintagel, the most influential woman in the country.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for influential
Erica Meltzer, The Tennessean, 2 Aug. 2025
Time omitted him from its ranking, a choice that no doubt will be viewed by many as just another example in a pattern of dismissing influential alternative voices.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
Helen Lyndon Goff was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, yet most people have never heard of her.
—Matthew Scogin, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Nan is the Duchess of Tintagel, the most influential woman in the country.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for influential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for influential
Adjective
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The project of canons, however flawed, is one of the few ways to push against that flattening logic, to argue that history should remember more than what, say, SiriusXM chooses to bankroll and gets an authoritative New York Times write-up.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
28 Aug. 2025
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Making use of both anchors in such fashion would put an authoritative person in the field and the studio, this person suggested, while giving the newscast the ability to deliver breaking news at the top of the broadcast.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Google has also begun rolling out two powerful filters for album searches.—
Paul Monckton,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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But her flat intonation and vocal fry are perfectly suited to Marvel’s campy critical misfire, playing a demure yet powerful teenager who’s taken under the wing of Dakota Johnson’s equally spacey Cassie.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Aug. 2025
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With the calendar officially flipped to August, the Miami Herald is counting down 30 of the most important players on the Hurricanes’ roster, one per day leading up to the season opener, to provide a closer look at the team heading into coach Mario Cristobal’s fourth season.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Many of them even took him on in races from the blocks, with Phelps often giving the Ravens players a significant head start before diving in.—
Sophie Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Ultimately, Putin does not appear to have yet changed his war calculus, and experts highlighted that there are some significant differences between Putin and his Soviet predecessor, Gorbachev, that make this upcoming talk vastly different.—
Caitlin McFall,
FOXNews.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Chicago got dominant starts from Shane Smith and Martin Perez earlier in the series, but veteran right-hander Aaron Civale wasn’t so lucky.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Aug. 2025
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Concern over the loss of Wheeler has less to do with the regular season — the Phillies are five games up on the Mets and heavily favored to win the NL East — but being without him in the postseason, where he’s been dominant (2.18 ERA over 12 appearances), will be much harder to overcome.—
Jim Bowden,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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According to research from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control, strong gun control laws are correlated with fewer gun deaths.—
Elliot Hughes,
Journal Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2023
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This results in a charge imbalance that builds up an electric field strong enough to trigger flashes of lightning.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
13 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Influential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/influential. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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