Make Your Point > Archived Issues > OMNIPOTENT
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pronounce
OMNIPOTENT:
Say it
"om NIP uh tunt."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Words with omni- in them, meaning "all" or "everything": they're just everywhere, aren't they? They're omnipresent! You don't have to be omniscient or omnipercipient to notice them, and if you crack open the OED, you'll find an omnisufficiency of them, an omnium gatherum of them.
Today, as we take a close look at one--omnipotent--I encourage you to freely employ omni- in your own nonce words. Be omniflexible! Be omnilogophilic! Yes, I made those up. But not these:
1. Meaning "eating all things:" omni______.
2. Meaning "made of all kinds of parts:" omni_______.
3. Literally meaning "for all," but these days usually meaning "a bus" or "an anthology:" omni___.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
You know how "potent" means "powerful," and how the prefix "omni-" means "all"?
Put them together and you get "omnipotent," a word with Latin roots that mean "all-powerful."
That's the meaning in English, too. Omnipotent things or people are all-powerful. Or, they just seem almighty, godlike, or all-powerful.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech: adjective: "an omnipotent god," "they believe they're omnipotent."
Other forms: omnipotence (or, if you prefer, omnipotency); omnipotently.
how to use it:
This fun-to-say word is great for humor, exaggeration, and storytelling.
You might talk about omnipotent characters, like gods, genies, or wizards.
Or, talk about people in real life who seem omnipotent or act as if they're omnipotent: presidents, cult leaders, lawmakers, police, businesspeople, etc.
examples:
"Atlanta is the future. At least, makers of films and TV series think so, especially those who create visions of times to come. In The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead and Divergent, the city appears, unnamed, as the setting for omnipotent rulers and dark deeds."
— Rowan Moore, The Guardian, 22 October 2018
"I remember thinking of mathematics as a kind of omnipotent protector. You could prove things to people and they would have to believe you whether they liked you or not."
— John Allen Paulos, Innumeracy:Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences, 2011
has this page helped you understand "omnipotent"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "omnipotent" without saying "having incredible powers" or "Q."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(A real or fictional person), clearly omnipotent, can (do something amazing or impossible)."
Example: "Zack Morris, clearly omnipotent, can break the fourth wall and speak directly to his audience. Oh, and he can pause and resume time itself."
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is "Subject Line Crosswords."
We'll revisit some of the email subject lines from 2019 issues, using them as a tool for recall.
Each day this month, see if you can complete the mini-crossword with words we studied last year. If you need extra clues, look below the puzzle to view definitions and parts of speech. And I'll share the answers in the following issue. Enjoy!
From the previous issue:
Extra clues:
ACROSS
2. noun meaning "anything that seems fancy, showy, and meaningless"
3. noun meaning "a small thing that's not valuable and not important"
DOWN
1. verb meaning "to cause something, or to bring it into being, as if you're lighting a fire"
Answers:
If you like, you can review the words pageantry, bagatelle, and kindle.
Try this today:
Extra clues:
ACROSS
2. adjective meaning "able to 'see' things with superhuman clarity"
3. adjective meaning "extremely high or tall"
DOWN
1. adjective meaning "seeming to roam from place to place"
review this word:
A. IMPOTENT (powerless).
B. PLENIPOTENTIARY (all-powerful).
C. IDEMPOTENT (providing the same result regardless of repetitions).
2. The omnipotence paradox asks, _____
A. "Is the answer to this question 'no'?"
B. "If that customer is drinking, is everyone in the pub drinking?"
C. "Could God create a stone so heavy that even He could not lift it?"
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Words with omni- in them, meaning "all" or "everything": they're just everywhere, aren't they? They're omnipresent! You don't have to be omniscient or omnipercipient to notice them, and if you crack open the OED, you'll find an omnisufficiency of them, an omnium gatherum of them. You know how "potent" means "powerful," and how the prefix "omni-" means "all"?
Part of speech: adjective: "an omnipotent god," "they believe they're omnipotent."
This fun-to-say word is great for humor, exaggeration, and storytelling.
"Atlanta is the future. At least, makers of films and TV series think so, especially those who create visions of times to come. In The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead and Divergent, the city appears, unnamed, as the setting for omnipotent rulers and dark deeds."
Explain the meaning of "omnipotent" without saying "having incredible powers" or "Q."
Fill in the blanks: "(A real or fictional person), clearly omnipotent, can (do something amazing or impossible)."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Extra clues:
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