Definition of powerful in English:
powerful
adjective
1having control and influence over people and events: the world's most powerful nation powerful financial interests threatened to create a monopoly in land ownership she was once one of the most powerful women in American business
More example sentences
- It has made it far harder for determined and powerful figures to control how people see events and that can only be a good thing.
- So a handful of votes will determine the direction of the world's most powerful and influential country.
- There is, Richard says, a subtler but no less powerful influence at work too.
- Hmm, maybe so, but the fact remains that the Scots and Irish influence is a powerful and pervasive one.
- Reed ensured he was in a powerful position to influence how much scrutiny the council applied to the Forum.
- A quarter of a century on, the clergyman remains a powerful and influential figure even in death.
- Despite notching up just one small and one big hit, he has exerted a powerful influence on Scottish pop.
- It has fed and sheltered me, and is powerful enough to influence the direction of my art.
- Second, there is a bipolar structure of control, with the system controlled by two powerful states.
- He believes that the powerful are powerful because they control the surface of things.
- Newspapers and magazines were equally powerful cultural influences on public opinion.
- And the men controlling the most powerful countries in the world ought to be ashamed.
- She then went to work for one of the most powerful, influential billionaires on the planet.
- What would he recommend for them if they weren't currently the most powerful nation?
- Its successes have been very inconvenient to the powerful and privileged.
- We need a powerful English Parliament with equal funding to that of other UK regional ones.
- Or else the world influences in those times were very powerful, and they were.
- At long last, someone had beaten the powerful development lobby at City Hall.
- Labour MPs and the powerful anti-hunt lobby are not really concerned about the fox.
- Westin was now quite convinced that his country was the most powerful in the world.
influential, strong, high-powered, important, controlling, dominant, commanding, potent, forceful, vigorous, dynamic, formidable, redoubtable
informal big, high-octane
literary puissant
2having or producing great force or energy: a fast, powerful car computers are now more compact and powerful biotechnology is an extremely powerful tool
More example sentences
- Women may live longer than men because they have a more powerful immune system, it was reported yesterday.
- She sounds invulnerable, not because she's powerful but because she's so darned nice.
- The incidence also explains the powerful placebo effect of some treatments.
- We all have a craving in life, be it a powerful yearning or a strong zest for something we seek.
- I wanted to be where I used to be and have that powerful, strong sense of direction.
- He's big and powerful and a strong boy: the last thing you want is to be in his way when he is running at you.
- Both have strong, powerful teams who can also play a bit, and both have great managers.
- She had nearly reached the door when a strong, incredibly powerful hand caught hold of her arm.
- They were very powerful, very illegal weapons.
- However they are very powerful tools for company identification in the mind of users.
- The law is an incredibly powerful tool for shaping social perceptions, as well as controlling behavior.
- Scientific and technical progress of the latter half of the twentieth century made them extremely powerful.
- The hope of water was such a powerful motivator, it kept me going.
- Tip #4: Food is a powerful motivator when it comes to dog training.
- But Alistair Brown lunged to his right to turn the powerful header round the post.
- He went after powerful mages himself, and my father was one of them.
- Studies are accumulating that the pizza herb, oregano, is a powerful antioxidant.
- I felt oddly powerful, and threw myself into my stretches with impressive enthusiasm.
- And the animals are powerful enough to kill with a single blow.
- The radiation would be at least 50 times above normal, powerful enough to kill exposed life.
2.1 involving or done with great force or energy: this weekend's powerful earthquake the explosion was so powerful that it caused cracks in the concrete dome he delivered a powerful kick
Synonyms
violent, forceful, heavy, hard, mighty, vigorous, hefty, thunderous
2.2 (of a person or animal) very strong and muscular: his powerful shoulders bulged under his suit Lewis is a tall, powerful opponent although small, it was as powerful as a bear
Synonyms
strong, muscular, muscly, sturdy, strapping, robust, mighty, hefty, brawny, burly, husky, athletic, manly, well built, Herculean, tough, solid, substantial, lusty
informal beefy, hunky, ripped, shredded
North American informal buff
US informal jacked
dated stalwart
literary stark, thewy
3having a strong effect on people's feelings or thoughts: his determination sends a powerful message to the drug industry they present a powerful argument to the contrary the photomontages are powerful anti-war images
More example sentences
- Bold use of line and strong colour create powerful images that also provide an insight into the minds of the artists.
- As a man of strong intellectual powers, many of his most powerful effects were carefully thought through.
- But in the literary sphere it can generate quite powerful effects and exert a strong appeal.
- It was extremely theatrical, which made the effects more dramatic and powerful.
- They will provide powerful insights into the effects of different herbicide usage.
- The work showed a director able to blend live action and special effects in powerful packages.
- Thirdly, the powerful effect of these stories relates to the way people estimate probabilities.
- It's sometimes I think the best analogy for a koan is a painting that has a powerful effect on you.
- His speech when launching his campaign for the Tory leadership was a powerful anti-war polemic.
- Her voice is calming and almost hypnotic at times, and really strong and powerful at others.
- His lyrics are powerful and emotive and come wrapped in lovely melodies.
- Yet the result is mesmeric: it shows how little you actually need to make powerful dramatic radio.
- She played solo with an acoustic guitar, her voice was powerful and clear and she knew how to use it.
- How many other tv shows around today have such a powerful and predominately female cast?
- But words can be an incredibly powerful tool.
- Yet, it is the simplicity of these principles that makes them so powerful.
- When this is done well - and it hardly ever is - it can be immensely powerful.
cogent, compelling, convincing, persuasive, eloquent, impressive, striking, telling, influential;
forceful, strong, effective;
dramatic, passionate, graphic, vivid, moving, potent, authoritative, great, weighty, vigorous, forcible, irresistible, substantial
3.1 strongly felt: few other topics engender such powerful feelings resist the powerful urge to take a nap in the middle of the day
Synonyms
intense, keen, acute, fierce, violent, passionate, ardent, burning, consuming, strong, irresistible, overpowering, overwhelming, fervent, fervid
adverb
[as submodifier] mainly dialectDerivatives
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powerfulness
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noun Example sentences
- He is driven to silent tears, observed by Benigno who shares his emotion but, constrained by the powerfulness of the spectacle, cannot make a show of solidarity.
- But to me it became a sense of not glamour but overwhelming powerfulness and that has stayed with me really for the rest of my life.
- Likewise, colonial occupation gives the occupiers an easy sense of self-worth and powerfulness.
- ‘People relate to the theme of a journey from ignorance to knowledge, from fear to courage, from insensitivity to caring, from paralysis to powerfulness, from victimization to accountability,’ the book points out.
- It may not be politic on her part in the future to do those things because you are just demonstrating… your powerfulness.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: power|ful
Definition of powerful in:
- US English dictionary
- English synonyms
- US English synonyms
= trending
