Omnipotent

WORD OF THE DAY

omnipotent / adjective / ahm-NIP-uh-tunt 

Definition

1a (often capitalized Omnipotent): having absolute power over all 

1b: almighty

2: having virtually unlimited authority or influence

3a (obsolete): being notoriously without moderation 

3b: arrant

Examples

"To the omnipotent leader, rules and norms are meant for everyone but them." 

— Merete Wedell-Wedellsborg, The Harvard Business Review, 12 Apr. 2019

"This isn't the Jean-Luc [Picard] who went toe-to-toe with omnipotent beings, Klingons, Romulans, and the Borg. This is a man with no ship, no crew…, no purpose." 

— Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2020

Did You Know?

The word omnipotent made its way into English through Anglo-French, but it ultimately derives from the Latin prefix omni-, meaning "all," and the word potens, meaning "potent." 

The omni- prefix has also given us similar words such as omniscient (meaning "all-knowing") and omnivorous (describing one that eats both plants and animals). 

Although omnipotent is most often used in general contexts to mean "having virtually unlimited authority or influence" (as in "an omnipotent warlord"), its original applications in English referred specifically to the power held by an almighty God. 

The word has been used as an English adjective since the 14th century, and since the 16th century it has also been used as a noun referring to one who is omnipotent.