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
The event celebrated some of the most influential people of the year, featuring athletes, business moguls and venerated artists.
—
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Apr. 2025
Ars Technica: Ray Kurzweil's influential ideas about the singularity have been around for a long time.
—ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025
Thomas first came to prominence in the group Rocket From the Tombs, which, despite never recording an album, became an influential act locally in its brief tenure.
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
With a $150 billion investment strategy through 2027, ADNOC is positioning itself to become one of Europe's most influential financial players.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for influential
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 25 Apr. 2025
Ars Technica: Ray Kurzweil's influential ideas about the singularity have been around for a long time.
—ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2025
Thomas first came to prominence in the group Rocket From the Tombs, which, despite never recording an album, became an influential act locally in its brief tenure.
—August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
With a $150 billion investment strategy through 2027, ADNOC is positioning itself to become one of Europe's most influential financial players.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for influential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for influential
Adjective
-
In this authoritative, elegant biography, Daut meticulously combs the torrents of contemporary letters and broadsheets to draw a complex, contradictory portrait of Christophe, also known as King Henry.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
-
The distant therapist Not too long ago, therapists acted like black boxes and authoritative gods.—
David E. Tolchinsky,
The Conversation,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The death toll from a powerful explosion at Iran's biggest port of Bandar Abbas has risen to at least 40, with more than 1,200 people injured, state media reported on Sunday, as firefighters blast worked to fully extinguish the fire.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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And there’s perhaps no more powerful long-term investment than the one Defy is making in people who society often writes off.—
Nell Derick Debevoise,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Three Key Lessons: Pareek’s Insights into Innovation Over the course of his career, Pareek has learned many important lessons.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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Perhaps corner was a more important spot, but Starks is an elite player.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
He was faced with significant second-guessing from fellow Democrats about his ability to finish the race before ultimately deciding to end his campaign.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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However, these new drugs carry significant challenges, including high costs, the need for frequent brain scans to monitor serious side effects and the risk of swelling or bleeding in the brain.—
Allen Chang,
ABC News,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The first 27 operational satellites for Amazon's Kuiper broadband network lifted off from Florida's Space Coast on Monday evening, the opening salvo in a challenge to SpaceX's dominant Starlink global Internet service.—
Alex Goy,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
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Arizona Cardinals First pick: DT Walter Nolen The Cardinals took some big swings, starting with Nolen, who can be dominant on his best snaps and complements the team’s free-agent signings of edges Josh Sweat and Baron Browning.—
Josh Kendall,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Influential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/influential. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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