# influential

Pronunciation: say "in-floo-EN-shuhl" US /ˌɪnfluˈɛnʃəl/, AUS /ˌɪnflʉˈenʃəl/; UK say "in-fluu-EN-shuhl" /ɪnflʊˈɛnʃəl/

## Adjective

1. Having the power to affect how people think, behave, or make decisions.
   - Simple: Able to change what people think, do, or decide.
   - _The critic's review was influential enough to fill every showing for weeks._
   - _Among the most influential thinkers of the century, she reshaped economic theory._

## Noun

2. A person who holds the power to affect what others think, choose, or do.
   - Simple: A person who can change what other people think or do.
   - _The committee invited several influentials to advise on the new policy._
   - _He grew into a major influential within the party over a single decade._

## Origin

From Medieval Latin īnfluentiālis, formed from īnfluentia plus the suffix -ālis. By surface analysis, it can be read as influence + -ial.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/influential (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).