Like socioeconomic status, ethnicity is not a strong determinant of childhood friendships, but becomes increasingly potent with age.

Soldiers have become increasingly potent symbols in the final days of an election in which the war in Iraq has become a central issue.

I tried to fight the seductive call of sleep, but it proved increasingly potent.

Gathering Strength But among politicians, there is a sense that the talk shows are increasingly potent in American politics.

Indeed, throughout the county, real estate brokers are courting what has become an increasingly potent market force.

Now music has become an increasingly potent tool for advertisers eager to exploit a distinct, and lucrative, market.

Different pets offer different benefits to the players, and they become increasingly potent as they level up.

It provided an increasingly potent offensive arm.

But they are up against something invisible and increasingly potent: the implacable sense of outrage that has taken root among the 280,000 people left in Sarajevo.

Computer security experts, however, warn that they have begun seeing evidence of increasingly potent attacks by hackers.