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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The star power between the United States and Dominican Republic arguably rivaled any matchup seen on a baseball diamond before.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
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Some runways really have that brain chemistry-altering power, and the spectacle that Marc Jacobs created for the Louis Vuitton fall 2012 show is one such example.—
Rosie Jarman,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Finally, the defanging of the Iranian menace would also significantly augment the collective strength and abilities of the West with respect to China, which relies heavily on Iranian oil.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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Before starting a new exercise program, Culbertson advised seeing a doctor or a physical therapist to make sure there’s nothing neurological causing your loss of grip strength.—
Danielle Zickl,
Health,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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White House officials said the Biden-era energy efficiency mandates in HUD and Agriculture departments' guidelines could add up to $9,000 to housing construction costs.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
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This means that even if a fault-tolerant quantum computer becomes available, QPE could still struggle with large molecules because the chance of successfully extracting the correct energy becomes vanishingly small.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puissance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puissance. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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