possibility en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌpɒs.ɪˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
- /ˌpɑ.səˈbɪl.ə.ti/ (General-American)
- [ˌpɑ.səˈbɪl.ə.ɾi] (General-American)
Etymology
From Middle English possibilite, from Middle French possibilité (from Old French possibilite) and directly from Late Latin possibilitās (“possibility”), from Latin possibilis (“possible”); see possible. By surface analysis, possible + -ity.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) The quality of being possible.
'There is little possibility of that happening' 'I'd say there's rather a strongish possibility that it won't.'
-
(countable, uncountable) A thing possible; that which may take place or come into being.
Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.
2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
-
(countable, uncountable) An option or choice, usually used in context with future events.
Mycelial lives are so other, their possibilities so strange.
2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 76:
-
(countable, obsolete, uncountable) Capability, power or capacity to act.
VVere Iacke Strawe a liue againe, And I in as good poſſibility as euer I was, I would lay a ſurer trumpe, Ere I would loſe ſo faire a tricke.
1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], →OCLC, Act IV:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| possibilities | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
possibility of reverter · production possibility curve · logical possibility · unpossibility · nonpossibility · possibility theory
Hyponyms
Relateds
potence · probability · potency · potent · impossibility · potential · power · potentate · possible · potentiality
Synonyms
eventuality · choice · possibility · choice · option · option · contingency · contingency · contingent · contingency · possibleness · potentiality · possibility · chance · alternative
Translations (128)
vi sự có thể (quality of being possible) · sl možnost (quality of being possible) · ms kemungkinan (quality of being possible) · ug ئىمكانىيەت (quality of being possible) · sk možnosť (quality of being possible) · pl możliwość (quality of being possible) · tg имкон (quality of being possible) · mr शक्यता (quality of being possible) · lt galimybė (quality of being possible) · no mulighet (quality of being possible) · ug مۇمكىنلىك (quality of being possible) · eo eblo (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · ja 可能性 (quality of being possible) · el δυνατότητα (quality of being possible) · fi vaihtoehto (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · kea xanse (quality of being possible) · rm pussaivladad (quality of being possible) · he אֶפְשָׁרוּת (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · nn mogelegheit (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · nn høve (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · ru возмо́жность (quality of being possible) · vi khả năng (quality of being possible) · es posibilidad (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · kea txansa (quality of being possible) · ar إِمْكَانِيَّة (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · tr olanak (quality of being possible) · da mulighed (quality of being possible) · pl możliwość (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · ro posibilă (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · ml സാധ്യത (quality of being possible) · uz imkon (quality of being possible) · hi संभावना (quality of being possible) · mi āheitanga (quality of being possible) · kk ықтималдық (quality of being possible) · nrf pôssibilité (quality of being possible) · gl posibilidade (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · tr ihtimal (quality of being possible) · nn mogleik (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · fa احتمال (quality of being possible) · ko 가능성 (quality of being possible) · th ความเป็นไปได้ (quality of being possible) · vo mög (quality of being possible) · gl posibilidade (quality of being possible) · tr olabilirlik (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · el πιθανότητα (quality of being possible) · uz mumkinlik (quality of being possible) · it possibilità (quality of being possible) · lv iespēja (quality of being possible) · de Möglichkeit (quality of being possible) · bg вероятност (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · ar اِحْتِمَال (quality of being possible) · kea xanse (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · kk мүмкіндік (quality of being possible) · be магчы́масць (quality of being possible) · rsk можлївосц (quality of being possible) · nl mogelijkheid (quality of being possible) · el επιλογή (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · ar إِمْكَانِيَّة (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · nn moglegheit (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · sh могу́ћно̄ст (quality of being possible) · bg възмо́жност (quality of being possible) · ca possibilitat (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · fi mahdollisuus (quality of being possible) · ml സാധ്യം (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · hu eshetőség (quality of being possible) · he אֶפְשָׁרוּת (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · rup pusibilitati (quality of being possible) · nn mogelegheit (quality of being possible) · io posiblajo (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · ms kemungkinan (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · az imkan (quality of being possible) · ky мүмкүндүк (quality of being possible) · ro posibil (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · it opportunità (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · ota اختیار (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · cs možnost (quality of being possible) · hy հնարավորություն (quality of being possible) · ga féidearthacht (quality of being possible) · pl możność (quality of being possible) · nn moglegheit (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · pl możliwość (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · se vejolašvuohta (quality of being possible) · eo ebleco (quality of being possible) · ro posibilitate (quality of being possible) · gv jargaght (quality of being possible) · sw uweza (quality of being possible) · pt possibilidade (quality of being possible) · uz ehtimol (quality of being possible) · se vejolašvuohta (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · sq mundësi (quality of being possible) · nn mogleik (quality of being possible) · id kemungkinan (quality of being possible) · tr imkân (quality of being possible) · el δυνατότητα (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · nn mogelegheit (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · ka შესაძლებლობა (quality of being possible) · ia possibilitate (quality of being possible) · nn moglegheit (quality of being possible) · es posibilidad (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · hu lehetőség (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · io posibleso (quality of being possible) · ug مۇمكىنچىلىك (quality of being possible) · fr possibilité (quality of being possible) · hu lehetőség (quality of being possible) · cmn 可能性 (quality of being possible) · mk можност (quality of being possible) · ms kemungkinan (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · uk можли́вість (quality of being possible) · az ehtimal (quality of being possible) · nn mogleik (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · he אֶפְשָׁרוּת (quality of being possible) · kea txansa (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · ky мүмкүнчүлүк (quality of being possible) · pdt Mäajlichkjeit (quality of being possible) · es posibilidad (quality of being possible) · sh mogúćnōst (quality of being possible) · hu esély (quality of being possible) · vo mögod (quality of being possible) · is möguleiki (quality of being possible) · fi mahdollisuus (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being) · fa امکان (quality of being possible) · sv möjlighet (quality of being possible) · hu kilátás (quality of being possible) · tr olasılık (quality of being possible) · rm pussaivladad (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · sw uwezekano (quality of being possible) · ca possibilitat (option or choice, usually used in context with future events) · hu eshetőség (a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being)