POWERFUL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does powerful mean? 

• POWERFUL (adjective)
  The adjective POWERFUL has 5 senses:

1. having great power or force or potency or effect

2. strong enough to knock down or overwhelm

3. having great influence

4. (of a person) possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful

5. displaying superhuman strength or power

  Familiarity information: POWERFUL used as an adjective is common.

• POWERFUL (adverb)
  The adverb POWERFUL has 1 sense:

1. (Southern regional intensive) very; to a great degree

  Familiarity information: POWERFUL used as an adverb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POWERFUL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Having great power or force or potency or effect

Context example:

a powerful argument

Similar:

all-powerful; almighty; omnipotent (having unlimited power)

coercive (serving or intended to coerce)

compelling (driving or forcing)

mighty (having or showing great strength or force or intensity)

muscular (having or suggesting great physical power or force)

potent; strong (having or wielding force or authority)

puissant (powerful)

regent (acting or functioning as a regent or ruler)

regnant; reigning; ruling (exercising power or authority)

Also:

effective; effectual; efficacious (producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect)

potent; stiff; strong (having a strong physiological or chemical effect)

strong (having strength or power greater than average or expected)

Attribute:

power; powerfulness (possession of controlling influence)

Antonym:

powerless (lacking power)

Derivation:

powerfulness (possession of controlling influence)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Strong enough to knock down or overwhelm

Synonyms:

knock-down; powerful

Context example:

a knock-down blow

Similar:

strong (having strength or power greater than average or expected)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Having great influence

Synonyms:

potent; powerful

Similar:

influential (having or exercising influence or power)

Derivation:

powerfulness (possession of controlling influence)

Sense 4

Meaning:

(of a person) possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful

Synonyms:

brawny; hefty; muscular; powerful; sinewy

Context example:

powerful arms

Similar:

strong (having strength or power greater than average or expected)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Displaying superhuman strength or power

Synonyms:

herculean; powerful

Context example:

herculean exertions

Similar:

superhuman (above or beyond the human or demanding more than human power or endurance)

Derivation:

powerfulness (possession of controlling influence)

• POWERFUL (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(Southern regional intensive) very; to a great degree

Synonyms:

mightily; mighty; powerful; right

Context example:

they rejoiced mightily

Domain usage:

intensifier; intensive (a modifier that has little meaning except to intensify the meaning it modifies)

 Context examples 

This month holds a solar eclipse, which is a very powerful new moon, December 25 (or December 26, depending on your time zone) and lights up all the areas previously listed.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

"But I am a good witch, and the people love me. I am not as powerful as the Wicked Witch was who ruled here, or I should have set the people free myself."

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

He was by nature powerful of thought and sensibility, and the creative spirit was restive and urgent.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

He is a tall man, sunburned, very powerful, not more than thirty.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

These bodies are difficult to study even with powerful telescopes, as they are small, shine very little, and are so far away from Earth.

(Brazil astronomers discover ring around dwarf planet near Pluto, Agência Brasil)

Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base?

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

On the evening of the third he rushed into our sitting-room, pale, trembling, with every muscle of his powerful frame quivering with excitement.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Ha!” cried Edward, reining up for an instant his powerful black steed.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

His arms were long and slingy, his shoulders loose and yet powerful, with the downward slant which is a surer index of power than squareness can be.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The head is shaped as a blunt wedge and the jaws are powerful.

(Karelian Bear Dog, NCI Thesaurus)