powerful

1. 1
   control over othersadjective

   Having great power or influence, or able to exert it on others.

   The senator built a powerful network of allies over three decades.

   Few institutions remain as powerful as the central bank during a crisis.

   Similarinfluential, mighty, dominant, formidable

   Oppositepowerless, impotent

   Note

   The core sense comes plainly from power plus -ful, already in Middle English as pouerful. It stretches from the healing grace of herbs in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the influence of a modern political network. Modern usage compares it with more and most, but Thomas Browne in 1646 could still write of the powerfullest action of natural heat. Source

   Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

   • Powerful derives from Middle English pouerful and is formed from power plus -ful. en.wiktionary.org
   • Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet uses powerful of the beneficial properties of herbs; Friar Lawrence speaks the passage. gutenberg.org
   • Thomas Browne used the wording powerfullest action of natural heat. gutenberg.org
   • The Browne passage is attested in 1646 in Pseudodoxia Epidemica. en.wiktionary.org
   • Pseudodoxia Epidemica was first published in 1646. en.wikipedia.org
2. 2
   adjective

   Physically very strong or forceful; of a machine or device, having great power or a high capacity to perform its function.

   A powerful swimmer, she crossed the lake in under an hour.

   The truck's powerful engine hauled the trailer up the steep grade without slowing down.

   UsageFor an engine or machine, the opposite is weak or underpowered; powerless usually means having no influence or control.

   Similarstrong, mighty, forceful

   Oppositeweak, feeble

   Note

   The literal side of the word, power + -ful, measures the force a body can exert or the work a machine can do. With machines it rates capability (a powerful engine, a powerful computer, a powerful telescope), and the usual opposite there is weak or underpowered.

3. 3
   adjective

   Strong in its effect on a person's body, thinking, or emotions.

   The doctor prescribed a powerful painkiller for the first few days after surgery.

   Her speech at the memorial was short but powerful, and many in the crowd were in tears.

   Similarstrong, potent, moving, compelling, effective

   Oppositeweak, mild

   Note

   Two worlds share this sense. In medicine a powerful drug or painkiller acts strongly on the body, and potent is the near synonym. In speech, writing, art and film a powerful work moves the feelings or the mind, and the word becomes praise, close to moving or compelling. The same adjective can therefore warn on a label and applaud in a review.

4. 4
   highly usefuladjective

   Leading to many or important conclusions or deductions.

   The new framework proved a powerful tool for deriving fresh results.

   Logicians prize a powerful axiom that yields a wealth of theorems.

   Similarfruitful, productive

   Note

   Here the power is measured by what follows: a theorem or a set of postulates counts as powerful by how much can be derived from it. The word sits naturally beside theorem and postulates, and it says nothing about difficulty. A short, simple result is powerful if a great deal follows from it.

Showing meanings only. Show all 7