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potential

potential

919 3.6
Possible in the future but not yet real
  • adjective
  • /pəˈtɛnʃəl/
translation icon : 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.