omnipotent

Omnipotent is an adjective describing unlimited or all-encompassing power or authority. The term derives from the Latin omnis “all” and potens “powerful,” and is widely used in religious, philosophical, and literary contexts.

In theology, omnipotence is most often associated with God in monotheistic traditions such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. However, the precise meaning and scope of omnipotence differ across traditions and scholars. A common formulation is that an omnipotent being can do all that is logically possible. Some philosophers, by contrast, discuss stronger or weaker articulations, including claims about the ability to alter the laws of logic or to perform actions beyond logical possibility. Most mainstream views maintain that omnipotence does not entail incoherence—for example, creating contradictions or square circles—since such tasks are considered logically impossible rather than genuine feats.

The omnipotence paradox arises when considering questions like whether an omnipotent being can create a stone so heavy that it cannot lift it. If it can, it seems there is something it cannot do (lift the stone); if it cannot, there is something it cannot do (lift the stone). Various responses include redefining omnipotence as the power to do all that is possible within a being’s nature, or distinguishing between absolute power and power constrained by logical consistency or divine nature.

In secular or non-theistic contexts, omnipotence is sometimes used metaphorically to describe institutions, fictional beings, or processes with extensive or overwhelming power, rather than to attribute literal, metaphysical omnipotence to any entity.