From Middle English pouerful, powarfull, equivalent to power + -ful.

• (RP) IPA: /ˈpaʊəfəl/
• (America) IPA: /ˈpaʊɚfəl/

powerful

1. Having, or capable of exerting, power or influence.
   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene iii]:

     The powerful grace that lies / In herbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC ↗:

     As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.

2. Leading to many or important deductions.

   a powerful set of postulates

   a powerful theorem

3. (mining) Large; capacious; said of veins of ore.
4. (math, not comparable) Being a powerful number.

   Synonyms: squareful

• mightful (archaic)
• mighty
• potent
• powersome (dialect)
• strengthful
• strong
• forceful

• powerless
• strengthless

• French: puissant
• German: mächtig
• Italian: potente, efficace
• Portuguese: poderoso, potente
• Russian: могу́щественный
• Spanish: poderoso

powerful

1. (dialect, Southern US or archaic) very; extremely