Virtuous English AcademyPower, Status & Influence — C1 English Vocabulary
This C1 vocabulary list gathers 60 advanced English words about power, status & influence — prestige, sway and reputation. Every word comes with a simple definition, its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.
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eminence/ˈem.ɪ.nəns/
The state of being famous and respected.
“He rose to great eminence.”
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renown/rɪˈnaʊn/
The state of being widely known and admired.
“She won international renown.”
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stature/ˈstætʃ.ə/
Importance gained by ability or achievement.
“He has the stature of a statesman.”
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preeminence/priˈem.ɪ.nəns/
The state of being the most important.
“The firm’s preeminence is clear.”
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influential/ˌɪn.fluˈen.ʃəl/
Having great effect on people or events.
“She is hugely influential.”
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authoritative/ɔːˈθɒr.ɪ.tə.tɪv/
Respected and trusted as accurate.
“It is the authoritative text.”
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commanding/kəˈmɑːn.dɪŋ/
Having a powerful, controlling presence.
“He has a commanding presence.”
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formidable/ˈfɔː.mɪ.də.bəl/
Impressive and inspiring respect or fear.
“She is a formidable rival.”
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dominant/ˈdɒm.ɪ.nənt/
Most powerful or important.
“They hold a dominant position.”
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preponderance/prɪˈpɒn.dər.əns/
The state of being greater in number or power.
“There is a preponderance of evidence.”
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hegemonic/ˌhedʒ.ɪˈmɒn.ɪk/
Having dominant power over others.
“The power held a hegemonic role.”
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prevalence/ˈprev.əl.əns/
The state of being common or widespread.
“The prevalence of phones is striking.”
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pervasive/pəˈveɪ.sɪv/
Spreading widely through every part.
“The influence is pervasive.”
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reputable/ˈrep.jə.tə.bəl/
Having a good reputation.
“It is a reputable firm.”
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disreputable/dɪsˈrep.jə.tə.bəl/
Not respectable or trusted.
“He kept disreputable company.”
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notoriety/ˌnəʊ.təˈraɪ.ə.ti/
The state of being famous for something bad.
“The case brought him notoriety.”
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infamous/ˈɪn.fə.məs/
Well known for something bad.
“He is an infamous outlaw.”
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illustrious/ɪˈlʌs.tri.əs/
Famous and highly respected.
“She had an illustrious career.”
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esteemed/ɪˈstiːmd/
Greatly respected.
“He is an esteemed colleague.”
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revered/rɪˈvɪəd/
Deeply respected and admired.
“She is a revered teacher.”
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venerable/ˈven.ər.ə.bəl/
Respected because of age or achievement.
“It is a venerable institution.”
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acclaim/əˈkleɪm/
Enthusiastic public praise.
“The film won critical acclaim.”
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accolade/ˈæk.ə.leɪd/
An award or great praise.
“The prize is a great accolade.”
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laudable/ˈlɔː.də.bəl/
Deserving praise.
“It is a laudable aim.”
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commendable/kəˈmen.də.bəl/
Deserving praise and approval.
“Her honesty is commendable.”
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exalt/ɪɡˈzɔːlt/
To praise someone highly.
“The people exalt their leader.”
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extol/ɪkˈstəʊl/
To praise something enthusiastically.
“Critics extol the novel.”
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revere/rɪˈvɪə/
To feel deep respect for someone.
“Students revere the old professor.”
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idolise/ˈaɪ.dəl.aɪz/
To admire someone greatly.
“Fans idolise the singer.”
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lionise/ˈlaɪ.ə.naɪz/
To treat someone as a celebrity.
“The press lionise the winner.”
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denigrate/ˈden.ɪ.ɡreɪt/
To criticise unfairly.
“Rivals denigrate her work.”
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belittle/bɪˈlɪt.əl/
To make someone seem unimportant.
“Do not belittle his effort.”
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disparage/dɪˈspær.ɪdʒ/
To speak of someone as worthless.
“He tends to disparage others.”
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status/ˈsteɪ.təs/
A person's rank or position in society.
“Wealth confers status.”
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echelon/ˈeʃ.ə.lɒn/
A level or rank in an organisation.
“She reached the top echelon.”
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magnate/ˈmæɡ.neɪt/
A rich and powerful person in business.
“He is a media magnate.”
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tycoon/taɪˈkuːn/
A wealthy, powerful business person.
“An oil tycoon owns it.”
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mogul/ˈməʊ.ɡəl/
An important, powerful person in an industry.
“A film mogul backed it.”
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luminary/ˈluː.mɪ.nər.i/
A person who inspires others in a field.
“She is a luminary in physics.”
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doyen/ˈdɔɪ.ən/
The most respected senior member of a group.
“He is the doyen of critics.”
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figurehead/ˈfɪɡ.ə.hed/
A leader with a title but little real power.
“The king is only a figurehead.”
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kingpin/ˈkɪŋ.pɪn/
The most important person in a group.
“He was the kingpin of the gang.”
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patronise/ˈpæt.rə.naɪz/
To treat someone as if they are inferior.
“Do not patronise me.”
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gravitas/ˈɡræv.ɪ.tæs/
Seriousness and dignity in manner.
“She has real gravitas.”
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magnetism/ˈmæɡ.nə.tɪ.zəm/
A powerful attraction in a person's character.
“His personal magnetism drew crowds.”
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trailblazer/ˈtreɪlˌbleɪ.zə/
A person who is first to do something.
“She was a trailblazer for women.”
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kudos/ˈkjuː.dɒs/
Praise and honour for an achievement.
“The win earned her kudos.”
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cachet/ˈkæʃ.eɪ/
The respect that comes from being admired.
“The brand has real cachet.”
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pecking order/ˈpek.ɪŋ ˌɔː.də/
The order of importance among people.
“He knows the office pecking order.”
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predominate/prɪˈdɒm.ɪ.neɪt/
To be the strongest or most common.
“Big firms predominate here.”
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ingratiate/ɪnˈɡreɪ.ʃi.eɪt/
To gain favour by pleasing someone.
“He tried to ingratiate himself.”
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upstart/ˈʌp.stɑːt/
A person who has risen quickly and acts arrogantly.
“The upstart challenged the giants.”
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eminent/ˈem.ɪ.nənt/
Famous and respected in a field.
“He is an eminent scholar.”
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paramount/ˈpær.ə.maʊnt/
More important than anything else.
“Safety is of paramount importance.”
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consequential/ˌkɒn.sɪˈkwen.ʃəl/
Important because of its effects.
“It was a consequential meeting.”
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weighty/ˈweɪ.ti/
Very important and serious.
“These are weighty matters.”
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behind-the-scenes/bɪˌhaɪnd ðə ˈsiːnz/
Happening privately, away from public view.
“He works behind-the-scenes.”
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ennoble/ɪˈnəʊ.bəl/
To give dignity or high rank to someone.
“The honour will ennoble her name.”
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prestigious/presˈtɪdʒ.əs/
Respected and admired as important.
“It is a prestigious award.”
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omnipresent/ˌɒm.nɪˈprez.ənt/
Present everywhere at once.
“Advertising is omnipresent.”
Using power, status & influence words in English
Words for standing and influence are graded by how the standing was acquired and how widely it is felt. The pair to fix first is authoritative and authoritarian, which look like variants of one word and are nearly opposites in tone. The page also sorts prevalent from pervasive, and notes a genuine split in how formidable is stressed.
What to watch out for
Authoritative is trusted; authoritarian is oppressive
Authoritative means commanding respect because it is reliable and well-informed: the authoritative account of the period. Authoritarian means demanding unquestioning obedience and suppressing dissent: an authoritarian regime. They share a root and almost nothing else, and mixing them up reverses a compliment into a condemnation.
Prevalent is common; pervasive is everywhere
Prevalent means widespread and frequently occurring, and it is a statement about frequency: the practice is prevalent in rural areas. Pervasive means spread throughout every part of something, and it stresses penetration rather than count: a pervasive sense of unease. The noun prevalence is standard in epidemiology and means the proportion of a population affected.
Eminence, renown, stature, and pre-eminence
Eminence is high standing within a field; renown is being widely known and admired; stature is the reputation you have built and can be lost. All three are uncountable. British English usually hyphenates pre-eminent and pre-eminence, where American English closes them up. Formidable is stressed on the first syllable in traditional British usage, though second-syllable stress is now at least as common.
Words learners mix up
English has an unusually large vocabulary for social standing, and almost all of it is evaluative. These clusters cover what to call a powerful person, what to call a respected one, and the verbs for raising somebody up or running them down.
Names for a powerful person
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| magnate | Someone with great power in a particular industry. The most neutral of the group, and it takes the field: a shipping magnate. | A nineteenth-century steel magnate. |
| tycoon | A wealthy and powerful businessperson. Slightly more colourful, and from the Japanese title taikun. | A property tycoon with holdings in four cities. |
| mogul | Most at home in media and entertainment. From the Mughal emperors, and it suggests personal dominance of a field. | A film mogul who controlled three studios. |
| kingpin | The central figure holding an organisation together — and in most uses now, a criminal one. | The alleged kingpin of the network. |
| upstart | Someone newly risen who is felt not to have earned it. Purely dismissive, and about the speaker’s resentment. | The old firms dismissed them as upstarts. |
All five are journalistic rather than formal — a company report would say the chief executive. Only upstart is openly hostile, though kingpin now carries criminal associations strong enough that it should not be used neutrally.
Names for a respected person
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| luminary | Someone who is an inspiration in their field. Literally a source of light, and always complimentary. | The conference drew luminaries from three disciplines. |
| doyen | The most senior and respected member of a group, by long service. French, with the feminine doyenne. | The doyen of British crime writing. |
| trailblazer | The first to do something, opening a path for others. About priority rather than seniority. | A trailblazer for women in surgery. |
| figurehead | Someone with the title and the visibility but no real power. From the carved figure on a ship’s prow. | The chairman was by then a figurehead. |
Figurehead is the trap: it looks like a compliment and is not — it says the person is decorative. If you mean a respected public representative, the words are ambassador or standard-bearer. Note that venerable, meaning respected through age, can also patronise if the person is still working.
Raising up and running down
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| extol | To praise enthusiastically and at length. Usually in the fixed phrase extol the virtues of. | She extolled the virtues of the older method. |
| exalt | To raise somebody in rank or to praise them very highly. More elevated, with a religious echo. | He was exalted to the peerage. |
| lionise | To treat somebody as a celebrity. Often with a hint that the treatment is excessive. | The press lionised him for a season. |
| belittle | To make somebody or their achievement seem small. Personal and deliberate. | He belittled her contribution in front of the team. |
| denigrate | To attack somebody’s reputation. Stronger and more public than belittling. | A campaign to denigrate the inspectors. |
| disparage | To speak of somebody or something as being of little worth. Cooler and more dismissive than denigrate. | He disparaged the whole field as unserious. |
The three negative verbs differ in target and heat: belittle shrinks a person to their face, disparage dismisses in a measured way, and denigrate attacks a reputation. All three are transitive and none can be used of yourself.
Collocations that sound natural
Most of the status nouns here occur inside one or two fixed phrases, and several take a verb that no near-synonym will accept.
acclaim
critical acclaimwidespread acclaimto great acclaimwin acclaim
Uncountable. Critical acclaim means praise from critics, not praise that is critical — a genuine ambiguity for learners.
accolade
receive an accoladethe highest accoladea rare accolade
Countable, unlike acclaim. Originally the ceremonial touch of a sword in knighting.
gravitas
considerable gravitaslend gravitaslack gravitas
Latin, uncountable, no plural. It means dignified seriousness of manner, and it is something a person either has or lacks.
notoriety
gain notorietyachieve notorietya certain notoriety
Fame for something bad. Uncountable, and it is never a compliment — the positive noun is renown.
pecking order
the pecking orderhigh in the pecking orderupset the pecking order
Informal, from studies of hens. Always with the, and it means an informal hierarchy rather than a formal one.
cachet
a certain cachetlend cachet tosocial cachet
French, pronounced CASH-ay with a silent t. Uncountable, and it means prestige that attaches to a thing by association.
Formal, neutral or informal?
Two words on this page reverse their meaning depending on sense, one is not the plural anyone assumes, and one is the single most common false friend in the whole topic.
- infamousNot "very famous"Famous for something bad: an infamous miscarriage of justice. It is not an intensifier of famous, and calling a respected figure infamous inverts your meaning. The noun is infamy.
- patroniseTwo opposite tonesTo support financially or to be a regular customer — both entirely positive: patronise local shops. Also to talk down to somebody as though they were less capable, which is a serious criticism. British English stresses the first syllable, PAT-ronise.
- kudosNot a pluralGreek, and singular despite the -s: kudos is due to the team. There is no such word as a kudo. Uncountable, and slightly informal.
- doyen / doyenneFrench · genderedKeeps the French feminine form, so the most senior woman in a field is the doyenne. Some writers now use doyen for anyone; either is defensible, but be consistent.
- venerableRespect with an edgeCommanding respect through age and long standing. Applied to a living person still in post it can imply they are past it, so it is safer for institutions: a venerable publishing house.
- ingratiatePejorative · reflexiveAlways reflexive and always with with: ingratiate yourself with the committee. It means to gain favour by deliberate flattery, and it is never neutral.
- preponderanceFormal · quantityThe greater part or number of something: the preponderance of evidence. A quantity word, not a status word, so it is not a synonym for predominance, which is about being most powerful.
- behind-the-scenesHyphenationHyphenated before a noun — behind-the-scenes influence — and left open after the verb: the deal was done behind the scenes. The same compound-modifier rule as elsewhere.
Sentences to try
Four frames about standing and influence. Check whether each word praises or condemns.
- It remains the authoritative study of the subject.
- The government has grown steadily more authoritarian.
- Corruption was pervasive at every level of the ministry.
- She is a scholar of considerable eminence.
Questions about power, status & influence vocabulary
What is the difference between authoritative and authoritarian?
They are close to opposites in tone. Authoritative is positive and means commanding respect through reliability, expertise or accuracy: an authoritative biography, she spoke authoritatively about the data. Authoritarian is negative and means enforcing strict obedience at the expense of personal freedom: an authoritarian government, an authoritarian parenting style. Because they share a root and differ by three letters, the substitution happens easily and reverses your meaning completely.
What is the difference between prevalent and pervasive?
Prevalent is about frequency: something that occurs often or is widespread within a group. It is the everyday word in epidemiology, where prevalence means the proportion of a population with a condition at a given time. Pervasive is about penetration: something that has spread into every part of a thing, often an atmosphere or influence rather than a countable occurrence — a pervasive smell of damp, pervasive inequality. Prevalent things can be counted; pervasive things are felt everywhere.
How do you pronounce "formidable"?
Both first-syllable and second-syllable stress are current and recorded in British dictionaries. The traditional British pronunciation stresses the first syllable — FOR-mid-able — and this is still preferred by some conservative speakers and style guides. Stress on the second syllable, for-MID-able, is now at least as common in Britain and is the usual American form. Neither will be treated as an error. The same kind of variation affects controversy, applicable and research as a noun.