powerful

powerful
[[t]pa͟ʊə(r)fʊl[/t]]
♦♦
1) ADJ-GRADED A powerful person or organization is able to control or influence people and events.
See also all-powerful

You're a powerful man - people will listen to you.

...Russia and India, two large, powerful countries.

...Hong Kong's powerful business community.

Syn:
Ant:
2) ADJ-GRADED You say that someone's body is powerful when it is physically strong.

Hans flexed his powerful muscles...

It's such a big powerful dog.

Syn:
Ant:
Derived words:
powerfully ADV-GRADED ADV with v

He is described as a strong, powerfully-built man of 60...

You can contract your muscles more powerfully by linking up your breathing to the exercise.

3) ADJ-GRADED: usu ADJ n A powerful machine or substance is effective because it is very strong.

The more powerful the car the more difficult it is to handle.

...powerful computer systems...

Alcohol is also a powerful and fast-acting drug.

Derived words:
powerfully ADV ADV adj

Crack is a much cheaper, smokable form of cocaine which is powerfully addictive.

4) ADJ-GRADED: usu ADJ n A powerful smell is very strong.

There was a powerful smell of stale beer.

...tiny creamy flowers with a powerful scent.

Syn:
Derived words:
powerfully ADV-GRADED ADV after v

The railway station smelt powerfully of cats and drains.

5) ADJ-GRADED A powerful voice is loud and can be heard from a long way away.

At that moment Mrs. Jones's powerful voice interrupted them, announcing a visitor.

Syn:
6) ADJ-GRADED You describe a piece of writing, speech, or work of art as powerful when it has a strong effect on people's feelings or beliefs.

...Bleasdale's powerful 11-part drama about a corrupt city leader.

...one of the world's most powerful and moving operas, Verdi's `Otello'.

...a powerful new style of dance-theatre.

Derived words:
powerfully ADV-GRADED ADV -ed, ADV after v

It's a play - painful, funny and powerfully acted.


English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:

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  • Powerful — Pow er*ful, a. 1. Full of power; capable of producing great effects of any kind; potent; mighty; efficacious; intense; as, a powerful man or beast; a powerful engine; a powerful argument; a powerful light; a powerful vessel. [1913 Webster] The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • powerful — powerful, potent, puissant, forceful, forcible are comparable when they mean having or manifesting power to effect great or striking results. Powerful is applicable to something which stands out from the rest of its kind as exceeding the others… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • powerful — I adjective able, able bodied, armipotent, authoritative, autocratic, autocratical, brawny, cogent, commanding, compelling, consequential, controlling, deafening, dominant, dominating, dynamic, effective, effectual, efficacious, empowered,… …   Law dictionary

  • powerful — c.1400, from POWER (Cf. power) (n.) + FUL (Cf. ful). Related: Powerfully …   Etymology dictionary

  • powerful — [adj] strong, effective able, allpowerful, almighty, authoritarian, authoritative, capable, cogent, commanding, compelling, competent, controlling, convincing, dominant, dynamic, effectual, efficacious, energetic, forceful, forcible, impressive,… …   New thesaurus

  • powerful — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ having power. ► ADVERB chiefly dialect ▪ very. DERIVATIVES powerfully adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • powerful — [pou′ər fəl] adj. having much power; strong or influential adv. Dial. very powerfully adv. powerfulness n …   English World dictionary

  • powerful — pow|er|ful W2 [ˈpauəfəl US ˈpaur ] adj ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(important)¦ 2¦(speech/film etc)¦ 3¦(feeling/effect)¦ 4¦(machine/weapon etc)¦ 5¦(physically strong)¦ 6¦(a lot of force)¦ 7¦(medicine)¦ 8¦(team/army etc)¦ 9¦(quality)¦ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • powerful — adjective 1 IMPORTANT a powerful person, organization, group etc is able to control and influence events and other people s actions: The president is the most powerful man in America and probably the world. | a powerful consortium of European… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • powerful — pow|er|ful [ paurfl ] adjective *** 1. ) able to influence or control what people do or think: The powerful farm lobby is pressuring Congress to change the law. Recent events are a powerful argument for gun control. a powerful man ─ opposite WEAK …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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