powerful
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adj.having great strength, control, or the ability to influence people and events.
adj.possessing or capable of exerting significant physical, political, or social power.
Simple“The president gave a powerful speech that changed many people's minds.”
In context“The CEO is one of the most powerful figures in the tech industry, capable of shifting global markets with a single announcement.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.having a very strong effect on your mind or your senses.
adj.producing a sharp, intense, or highly effective impact on the senses or intellect.
Simple“The medicine had a powerful effect and he felt better within minutes.”
In context“The novel's powerful imagery stayed with me long after I had finished the final chapter.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
adj.a special type of number in math that can be divided by certain square numbers.
adj.referring to a natural number m such that if a prime number p divides m, then p squared also divides m.
Simple“In our math class, we learned how to identify a powerful number.”
In context“The mathematician demonstrated that while all perfect powers are powerful numbers, the converse is not necessarily true.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
adv.used to mean 'very' or 'extremely' in some local styles of speaking.
adv.used as an intensifier equivalent to 'very'; restricted to specific regional dialects.
Simple“That was a powerful long walk we took this morning.”
In context“He was powerful hungry by the time they reached the camp, having skipped both breakfast and lunch.”
UsageUsually placed before an adjective to add emphasis.
Usage powerful earthquake · powerful cosmic · powerful enough
From Middle English pouerful, powarfull. By surface analysis, power + -ful.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.