Meaning & use
powerful
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having great strength, control, influence, or the ability to affect events and people.
Grammar: Gradable with more/most: a more powerful engine.
Patterns
- a powerful country
- a powerful tool
- powerful enough
The country has one of the most powerful economies in the region.
Social media is a powerful tool for organizing events.
adjectivecomparablefigurative
Having a strong effect on the mind, feelings, or senses.
Grammar: Describes speeches, images, drugs, feelings, and arguments.
Patterns
- a powerful speech
- a powerful image
- a powerful effect
The lawyer made a powerful argument for change.
The film contains a powerful image of homecoming.
Word forms
| comparative | more powerful |
|---|---|
| superlative | most powerful |
Common combinations
- powerful engine
- The truck needs a powerful engine for mountain roads.
- powerful influence
- Her teacher had a powerful influence on her career choice.
- powerful argument
- Cost savings gave him a powerful argument for the plan.
- incredibly powerful
- The storm was incredibly powerful by midnight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- strong
- Strong is general physical or general force; powerful often suggests great capacity to produce results.
- influential
- Influential fits people or ideas that change opinions; powerful is broader and can be physical.
- potent
- Potent stresses strong effect, often of a drug, argument, or symbol; powerful is more everyday.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: powerful or powerless?
powerful vs powerless
Powerful means having great power; powerless means having none, its direct opposite.
Practice
“The documentary had a powerful ___ on viewers, many of whom donated afterward.”
Choose one answer.
The noun is effect: have an effect on viewers. Affect is mainly a verb, effective is an adjective, and affected does not fit the noun slot.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “powerful”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.