Definition of OMNIPOTENT (original) (raw)
2
: having virtually unlimited authority or influence
1
: one who has unlimited power or authority : one who is omnipotent
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The word omnipotent made its way into English through Anglo-French, but it ultimately comes from a combination of 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 ruler"), it was originally applied specifically to the power held by an almighty deity. 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.
Synonyms
Examples of omnipotent in a Sentence
Adjective
Rockefeller mostly left the uncertain task of drilling to thousands of independent producers, who then competed furiously to sell him crude oil at the cheapest possible price. As a result, he was loathed by the drillers, who saw him as an omnipotent deity shadowing their lives. —
Ron Chernow, Vanity Fair, May 1998 Whether or not the Big Bang truly implies that the universe was created out of nothing by an omnipotent deity in a wholly gratuitous act of love, it does demonstrate that the universe is, as philosophers say, contingent—that is, it need not have existed. —Jim Holt, Harper's, November 1994 Tad fixes another round and by the time you all troop out of the bathroom you are feeling omnipotent. —Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City, 1984
the nearly universal religious belief that God is omnipotent and omniscient Noun
He pursued his own thoughts without heeding me. 'Jane! you think me, I daresay, an irreligious dog: but my heart swells with gratitude to the beneficent God of this earth just now. … I did wrong: I would have sullied my innocent flower—breathed guilt on its purity: the Omnipotent snatched it from me.' —Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Their gods weren’t omniscient, weren’t omnipotent, and definitely weren’t all good. —Bryan Walsh, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 In its formulation, the problem of evil is a simple one: How can an omniscient, omnipotent and all-good God allow evil and suffering to occur in the world? —Bryan Walsh, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 But that shift from ideologue to pragmatist, omnipotent ruler to master delegator, must be emulated. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 10 Jan. 2025 The reader is encouraged to root for Paul, but the story’s climax argues that the existence of an omnipotent despot spells bad news for a fragile interstellar empire. —Emma Stefansky, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for omnipotent 
Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin omnipotent-, omnipotens, from omni- + potent-, potens potent
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of omnipotent was in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near omnipotent
Cite this Entry
“Omnipotent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omnipotent. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 9 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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