almighty

Word family

• almightiness
  nounC2
• mighty
  adjectiveB1
• mightily
  adverbC1
• all-powerful
  adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe great power, but they differ in scope and context. 'All-powerful' is the most versatile and everyday term — it can describe God, a dictator, nature, or an abstract force without sounding overly formal. 'Omnipotent' is a technical theological term that strictly means 'able to do anything'; it is rarely used outside religious or philosophical discussion and can sound stiff in conversation. 'Supreme' focuses on rank rather than capability — a supreme court is the highest court, but it is not all-powerful. 'Sovereign' emphasizes independent authority over a territory or domain; a sovereign state controls its own affairs, but it cannot do literally anything. For describing God's unlimited power in everyday English, 'all-powerful' is the clearest choice. For formal religious writing, 'omnipotent' is more precise. For example: 'The all-powerful ruler crushed the rebellion' (colloquial) versus 'The omnipotent deity created the universe ex nihilo' (theological).

Common collocations

Etymology

Almighty comes from Old English 'ælmihtig', a combination of 'æl' (meaning 'all') and 'mihtig' (meaning 'mighty' or 'powerful'). The word has been used since around the 9th century to describe God's unlimited power in Christian writings. The informal British use as an intensifier before nouns (an almighty crash) emerged in the early 19th century, and the rare American adverb use (almighty bored) dates from the late 19th to early 20th centuries.