possessing great strength; powerful (of arguments, etc) persuasive or forceful influential or authoritative tending to produce violent physical or chemical effects: a potent poison (of a male) capable of having sexual intercourse
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
po•tent1 /ˈpoʊtnt/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- powerful;
mighty:a potent air force. - persuasive:potent arguments.
- producing powerful effects:a potent drug.
- (of a male) capable of having sexual relations.
po•tent1
(pōt′nt),USA pronunciation adj.
po′tent•ly, adv.
po′tent•ness, n.
po•tent2 (pōt′nt),USA pronunciation [Heraldry.]
n.
adj.
- powerful;
mighty:a potent fighting force. - cogent;
persuasive:Several potent arguments were in his favor. - producing powerful physical or chemical effects:a potent drug.
- having or exercising great power or influence:a potent factor in the economy.
- (of a male) capable of sexual intercourse.
- Latin potent- (stem of potēns), present participle of posse to be able, have power; see -ent
- 1490–1500
po′tent•ness, n.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged strong, puissant. See powerful.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged influential.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged weak.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged ineffectual.
po•tent2 (pōt′nt),USA pronunciation [Heraldry.]
n.
- Heraldrya fur having a pattern of
T -shaped forms, placed in alternate directions and having alternating tinctures, one metal and one color, so that all forms of one tincture face the same way and are between, above, and below forms of the other tincture facing the other way. - Heraldrya
T -shaped form used in potent or counterpotent.
adj.
- Heraldry(of a cross) having a crosspiece at the extremity of each arm:a cross potent.
- Medieval Latin potentia, Latin: power, potency
- French crutch, support
- Middle English potente crutch, variant of potence 1325–75
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'potent' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
China White
- Colombian gold
- Durban poison
- absinthe
- alchemy
- alprazolam
- amrinone
- armipotent
- beclomethasone
- beta-endorphin
- busulfan
- cocktail
- crack
- crystal meth
- diazoxide
- dimethylnitrosamine
- energetic
- equipotent
- ethacrynic acid
- fetish
- fluphenazine
- fur
- ganja
- guanethidine
- host
- ice
- idempotent
- impotent
- industrial-strength
- isocarboxazid
- levorphanol
- methoxsalen
- methoxyflurane
- minoxidil
- multipotent
- nalbuphine
- nilpotent
- oestradiol
- omnipotent
- oxymorphone
- phallotoxin
- phenelzine
- phenylbutazone
- plenipotent
- posse
- potency
- potentate
- potential
- potentiate
- potentilla