as in power
the ability to exert effort for the accomplishment of a task
the president pledged to put the full puissance of the nation into the war effort
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Recent Examples of puissance
The reboot arrives at the peak of reggaeton’s pop puissance, and rightfully incorporates a lot more of the genre and its offshoots — Latin trap included.
—
Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2021
Which of you has the puissance to short-term deep-six me?
—Henry Alford, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2021
The doctrine’s puissance lies in the separation of powers.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 14 Jan. 2020
Over the years, when French leaders have called for a Europe puissance (European power), this has often sounded suspiciously like code for French hegemonic ambitions.
—The Economist, 7 Nov. 2019
There was a time when Jupiter was the king of the gods, and any man who doubted his puissance was ipso facto a barbarian and an ignoramus.
—John E. McIntyre, baltimoresun.com, 29 Aug. 2017
Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2021
Which of you has the puissance to short-term deep-six me?
—Henry Alford, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2021
The doctrine’s puissance lies in the separation of powers.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 14 Jan. 2020
Over the years, when French leaders have called for a Europe puissance (European power), this has often sounded suspiciously like code for French hegemonic ambitions.
—The Economist, 7 Nov. 2019
There was a time when Jupiter was the king of the gods, and any man who doubted his puissance was ipso facto a barbarian and an ignoramus.
—John E. McIntyre, baltimoresun.com, 29 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puissance
Noun
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Eco effort The villas are mainly run on solar power (each villa’s roof is slightly sloped to accommodate these solar panels), and the resort is single plastic-free.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
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The computing power needs, the competition from Anthropic, the potential for a more business-to-business stream of revenue, the fear that all of the big institutions that own it will want to cash out, makes this one plain fraught.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Noun
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Clark is finally at full strength again after, hampered by a groin injury, played in only 13 games a year ago.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
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Smith, who had been the strength coach at American Heritage, was promoted to head coach of the football program.—
Bruce Feldman,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Noun
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If the superfund template survives, the next decade of American energy policy will be written by trial lawyers, attorneys general and a handful of out-of-state philanthropies bankrolling the litigation pipeline.—
Yaël Ossowski,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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The Maoists’ shrinking realm sits atop rich veins of coal, iron, and bauxite – resources essential to India’s modernization and growing energy demands; Modi’s pledge to bring electricity to every household; and his broader ambition to transform India into a developed nation.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puissance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puissance. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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