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Antonyms for powerful

Grammar : Adj
Spell : pou-er-fuhl
Phonetic Transcription : ˈpaʊ ər fəl


Definition of powerful

Origin :
  • c.1400, from power (n.) + -ful. Meaning "of great quality or number" is from 1811; colloquial sense of "exceedingly" (adv.) is from 1822. Related: Powerfully. Thornton ("American Glossary") notes powerful as "Much used by common people in the sense of very," along with monstrous and cites curious expressions such as devilish good, monstrous pretty (1799), dreadful polite, cruel pretty, abominable fine (1803), "or when a young lady admires a lap dog for being so vastly small and declares him prodigious handsome" (1799).
  • adj strong, effective
Example sentences :
  • It secures us against all future annoyance from powerful Indian tribes.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • Mr. Robert Lowe, a Liberal, became one of its most powerful assailants.
  • Extract from : « The Grand Old Man » by Richard B. Cook
  • It isn't true that the weak and poor are to be envied beyond the powerful.
  • Extract from : « The Bacillus of Beauty » by Harriet Stark
  • The simplest child he would no more offend than the most powerful man.
  • Extract from : « Ridgeway » by Scian Dubh
  • Strange, that the mere identity of paper and ink should be so powerful.
  • Extract from : « A Book of Autographs » by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • The whole of the powerful artillery was to come into action at once.
  • Extract from : « The Story of the Malakand Field Force » by Sir Winston S. Churchill
  • At the head of the valley is Barwa, the home of the most powerful of these princelets.
  • Extract from : « The Story of the Malakand Field Force » by Sir Winston S. Churchill
  • Becket was a tall, powerful man, expert in the use of weapons.
  • Extract from : « Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II » by Charlotte Mary Yonge
  • Thus he retained a powerful weapon—to be used when desirable.
  • Extract from : « The Story of the Malakand Field Force » by Sir Winston S. Churchill
  • Instantly his throat was clasped by a pair of heavy and powerful hands.
  • Extract from : « The Leopard Woman » by Stewart Edward White

Synonyms for powerful

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019