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to potentiate

to potentiate

1 9.0
To make a drug or treatment work more strongly
  • verb
  • /pəˈtɛnʃiˌeɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : potenciar
  • Aspirin was ordered for the fever, and the nurse, recognizing that aspirin could potentiate the anticoagulant effect of warfarin, called the physician, who substituted acetaminophen for the aspirin.
  • potentiate the effect

I don't think there's tremendous evidence that that's going to potentiate training responses.

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Examples

  • Certain lifestyle changes may potentiate the effectiveness of a prescribed treatment plan.

  • Childhood maltreatment has been shown to potentiate risk for the onset and development of substance use disorders among adolescents and young adults.

    Academic text (2012)
  • It's also thought that it acts at at the level of the the brain stem and what it will potentiate is the reduction of appetite.

  • The interaction of chloroquine with some drugs has been shown to either potentiate or attenuate the effects of such drugs.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Now since then there's been a lot of research to show how stress and trauma potentiate multiple sclerosis.

  • Opioid peptides may also have a peripheral action potentiating itch due to other agents.

    Academic text (1999)
  • A principal aim of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that sulpiride would potentiate amphetamine-induced stereotyped locomotion.

    Academic text (1992)
  • In these experimental conditions, curcumin was able to antagonize the hormone-resistant phenotype in endocrine-resistant cells and potentiate the anti-proliferative effects of tamoxifen in parental cells.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The decline in anabolic hormones such as testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1 leads to decreased protein synthesis, which is further potentiated by increased insulin resistance.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Studies show that certain chemicals can potentiate the effects of pain relief medications.

Synonyms

to intensify
vsto potentiate
110 4.0

Make something stronger or more intense

increases biological or drug effects specifically rather than general intensity
to heighten
vsto potentiate
76 4.1

To make a feeling, effect or situation stronger

applies to strengthening biochemical or drug effects rather than emotional changes
to amplify
vsto potentiate
44 4.1

To make something larger, stronger, or more important

focuses on boosting effectiveness in biochemical or drug settings rather than general growth
to supercharge
vsto potentiate
1 5.8

To make something much more powerful or effective

increases effectiveness in biochemical contexts rather than to extreme levels

Antonyms

201 3.7

To become less in size, importance, or value

How Effective

to potentiate
  • Specialized
1 9.0
to amplify
44 4.1
to augment
52 5.3
to enhance
424 4.0

Surface Forms

potentiate infinitive
potentiated past participle
potentiating present participle
potentiates third person singular

Morphology

potentiate = potent (transparent) = potent + iate

The verb is directly formed from the adjective 'potent' with a verb-forming suffix, so the meaning 'make or increase potency' is predictable.

Etymology

Potentiate comes from the Latin root potent- and potentia, which mean 'power' and also appear in the words potent and potential. So to potentiate something is to give it more power or make its effect stronger, as when one drug makes another work more effectively.