po·tent
ˈpō-tᵊnt 
1
: having or wielding force, authority, or influence : powerful
a potent argument
2
: achieving or bringing about a particular result : effective
potent methods
3
a
: chemically or medicinally effective
a potent vaccine
b
: rich in a characteristic constituent
a potent drink
4
: able to copulate
—usually used of the male
potently
adverb
of a heraldic cross
: having flat bars across the ends of the arms see cross illustration
Examples of potent in a Sentence
Adjective (1)
a potent tea that is the perfect morning pick-me-up
a potent argument for expanding our program of space exploration
potent medicine that can be obtained through a doctor's prescription
Recent Examples on the Web
Sana Noor Haq,
CNN Money,
5 July 2026
Supported by a potent Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, ample RAM, and a generous 1TB SSD, the OmniBook 7 can handle any massive data sets, lengthy presentations, and more while running several programs at once.
—
Kelsey Fogarty,
PC Magazine,
4 July 2026
His first, laying the ball back to Mbappe, who blasted into the far corner with his weaker left foot, illustrated the potent mix of Olise’s eye for a pass and the ruthless finishing of his team-mates.
—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
4 July 2026
Allicin contains sulfur, which is responsible for the potent taste and smell of garlic.
—
Heather Jones,
Verywell Health,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for potent
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Adjective
The most potent reminder of the bloodshed lies in the thousands of people buried under debris.
—
Sana Noor Haq,
CNN Money,
5 July 2026
Supported by a potent Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, ample RAM, and a generous 1TB SSD, the OmniBook 7 can handle any massive data sets, lengthy presentations, and more while running several programs at once.
—
Kelsey Fogarty,
PC Magazine,
4 July 2026
His first, laying the ball back to Mbappe, who blasted into the far corner with his weaker left foot, illustrated the potent mix of Olise’s eye for a pass and the ruthless finishing of his team-mates.
—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
4 July 2026
Allicin contains sulfur, which is responsible for the potent taste and smell of garlic.
—
Heather Jones,
Verywell Health,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for potent
Cite this Entry
“Potent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potent. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
potent
adjective
po·tent
ˈpōt-ᵊnt
1
: having force or power
2
: chemically or medicinally effective
a potent vaccine
3
: able to copulate
—usually used of the male
potently
adverb
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