What does powerful mean?
Word: Powerful
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Powerful means having great strength or force, or able to control or strongly affect people and things.
Synonyms: mighty, strong
Antonyms: weak
How do you spell powerful?
Syllables: pow - er - ful
Tricky part: The ending -ful has only one l, even though the word full has two.
Watch out for: powerfull, powerfil
Memory tip: A spoon can be full to the brim, but a word ending in -ful has room for only one l.
Powerful in a sentence
Example 1: A powerful telescope lets you see the rings of Saturn.
Example 2: The elephant gave the log a powerful push with its trunk.
Example 3: Her speech at the morning assembly was short but powerful.
Fun Fact
The Saturn V rocket was powerful enough to send the Apollo 11 astronauts on their way to the Moon in 1969.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
powerful
a) potent
b) feeble
c) intense
d) forceful
Show answer
b) feeble. Forceful, potent and intense all carry strength; feeble means having very little.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
lwofperu
a) playful
b) plentiful
c) peaceful
d) powerful
Show answer
d) powerful. Plentiful, peaceful and playful each need letters the jumble lacks, such as n, a or y.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
p_w_rful
a) o, a
b) o, e
c) a, e
d) o, u
Show answer
b) o, e. The first part is the noun for energy or strength, spelt with o and then e.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) vigorous
b) energetic
c) couragous
d) powerful
Show answer
c) couragous. Courage keeps its e before -ous, so the adjective is courageous.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A powerful engine is one that ____.
a) can pull heavy loads easily
b) uses no fuel at all
c) fits inside a pocket
d) makes no sound at all
Show answer
a) can pull heavy loads easily
2. Who would need a powerful voice the most?
a) a reader in a quiet library
b) a baby asleep in a cot
c) a coach calling across a big ground
d) a child whispering a secret
Show answer
c) a coach calling across a big ground
