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potential

potential

919 3.6
Possible in the future but not yet real
  • adjective
  • /pəˈtɛnʃəl/
: potencial
  • And we're out here checking on a potential investment opportunity.
  • a potential impact
  • potential risks
  • potential benefits

And then I hit a potential snag and a real one.

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Examples

  • To date, our understanding of burnout and its potential health consequences for social workers has been limited.

    Academic text (2011)
  • But here's why I saw the potential in this place.

  • The next big war had the potential to be so much worse.

  • And it has great potential to be even more.

  • Being constantly among them meant I could sense the potential danger in most situations.

  • Although all these initiatives are tall orders, given the potential benefits, they are well worth a try.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I'm sifting through potential candidates for our program.

  • Examples of diversification in agricultural systems and the potential benefits for farmers under climate change.

    Academic text (2011)
  • We're glad to see the potential number one overall pick Cameron Cade here in attendance.

  • She has the potential to become a great leader in the community.

Synonyms

possible
vspotential
∞ 1.0

Able to happen or be achieved

is about ability to develop into something later rather than general possibility

Antonyms

∞ 1.4

Real and existing in fact, not imagined or expected

946 1.0

Sure to happen or be true

Compounds

potential energy
  • Specialized
6 3.9

Power that something has because of its position, not its movement

All the ability a person or thing can reach

2 6.5

Someone or something that may cause harm in the future

action potential
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A quick change in electric charge across a cell membrane that carries a signal along nerve or muscle cells

A treatment that might make a disease go away in the future

potential difference
  • Specialized
1 4.1

The electric push between two points in a circuit measured in volts

electric potential
  • Specialized
1 5.1

The energy a small electric charge has at a point in a circuit, measured in volts

evoked potential
  • Specialized
1 8.4

An electrical signal measured by electrodes that the brain makes after a sound or light

1 5.1

An employee the company thinks is likely to become a leader

bioelectric potential
  • Specialized
7.4

An electric charge difference across cells or tissues that helps signals travel

cortical potential
  • Specialized
9.1

A quick change in electric signals in the brain's outer part measured by a machine

4.8

Stored power in something when it is stretched or squashed, like a spring

high-potential
  • Specialized
7.6

Powered by very high electrical voltage

resting potential
  • Specialized
7.0

The electric charge difference between the inside and outside of a nerve cell when it is not sending a signal

A set of resistors connected one after another that gives a smaller, adjustable voltage from a source

potential drop
  • Specialized
7.0

The difference in electric voltage between two points in a circuit

potential unit
  • Specialized
7.9

A measure of electric potential difference between two points in a circuit, like the volt

How Likely

certain
946 1.0
likely
∞ 1.0
potential
919 3.6
unlikely
487 1.9
impossible
∞ 1.4

Surface Forms

potential positive

Morphology

potential = potent (transparent) = potent + ial

The adjective 'potential' meaning 'possible or having capacity' is a direct adjectival formation from the notion of 'power' in 'potent'.

Etymology

Potential comes from Latin potentia, meaning 'power'. As an adjective, it describes something possible or able to happen, a 'power' that could become real but is not yet.