possible en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- [ˈpɔs.ə.bɫ̩] (Australia)
- /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈpɑ.sə.bəl/ (General-American, dialectal) of Canada
- [ˈpɔ̟s.ə.bɫ̩] (New-Zealand)
- /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/ (New-Zealand)
- (US) audio
- /ˈpɔs.ə.bəl/ (Australia)
- [ˈpɒs.ə.bɫ̩] (Received-Pronunciation)
- [ˈpɒs.ɪ.bɫ̩] (Northern-England)
- /ˈpɒs.ɪ.bl̩/ (Northern-England)
- [ˈpɒs.ə.bɫ̩] (Canada, dialectal) of the US
- (UK) audio
- /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/ (Canada, dialectal) of the US
- [ˈpɑ.sə.bɫ̩] (General-American, dialectal) of Canada
Etymology
From Middle English possible, from Old French possible, from Latin possibilis (“possible”), from posse, possum (“to be able”); see power. Displaced Middle English acumendlic (“possible”), from Old English ācumendlīċ (“possible”). Compare also Old English mihtelīċ (“strong, capable, powerful, possible”), which was cognate with Old High German mahtlīh (“possible”) and Old Norse máttulígr (“mighty, possible”). Compare also Dutch mogelijk (“possible”) and German möglich (“possible”).
Meanings
-
(not-comparable, usually) Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.
It's not just possible, it's probable that there will be rain tomorrow.
The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again;[…]. Now she had come to look upon the matter in its true proportions, and her anticipation of a possible chance of teaching him a lesson was a pleasure to behold.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:Rain tomorrow is possible, but I wouldn't bet on it.
In short, the Leninist-Stalinist version of socialism was a possible interpretation, though certainly not the only possible one, of Marx's doctrine.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: powstanie (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 418:
-
(comparable) Capable of being done or achieved; feasible.
It's possible for anyone to learn to play the bagpipes.
Peace between Israel and the Arab countries is "more possible than any time before," says ex-Arab League U.N. ambassador Clovis Maskoud.
1993 September 10, Lee Michael Katz, “Expectant Mideast hopes to bear twin peace deals”, in USA Today, archived from the original on 30 Jun 2013, page 2A:Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism.
2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, pages 72–3:And success in minor degree, in the sense in which he uses the term "success," is only somewhat more possible than success in winning the White House chair.
1901, Louis Freeland Smith, The Public, volume 4, page 438:
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Being considered, e.g. for a position.
Jones and Smith are both possible for the opening in sales.
- Apparently valid, likely, plausible.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most possible | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more possible | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
certain · impossible · impossible · implausible · inevitable · impossible
Deriveds
possibilist · possibleness · possible world · as much as possible · nonpossible · compossible · as quickly as possible · if possible · unpossible · humanly possible · anything is possible · as soon as possible · possibly · ASAP · counterpossible · art of the possible
Hyponyms
probable · avoidable · impending · inevitable · improbable
Relateds
possibility · improbable · probable · potent · contingent · incidental · potential
Synonyms
achievable · futurable · possible · plausible · futurable · doable · likely · viable
Translations (135)
ur ممکن (able but not certain to happen) · ne हुन सक्नु (able but not certain to happen) · is mögulegur (able but not certain to happen) · tr olası (able but not certain to happen) · ja 起こり得る (able but not certain to happen) · wa possibe (able but not certain to happen) · mg haizina (able but not certain to happen) · gl posible (able but not certain to happen) · km អាចទៅរួច (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · hi संभव (able but not certain to happen) · cy dichonadwy (able but not certain to happen) · nl mogelijk (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · sv möjlig (being considered, e.g. for a position) · fi mahdollinen (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · gl posible (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · eo ebla (able but not certain to happen) · yi מעגלעך (able but not certain to happen) · ja 可能な (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · mk можен (able but not certain to happen) · mt possibbli (able but not certain to happen) · cs možný (able but not certain to happen) · sh mȍgūć (able but not certain to happen) · sh ostvàrljiv (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · be магчы́мы (able but not certain to happen) · tl posible (able but not certain to happen) · da mulig (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · az mümkün (being considered, e.g. for a position) · tg мумкин (able but not certain to happen) · bg възмо́жен (able but not certain to happen) · nl te doen (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · hu lehető (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · de möglich (being considered, e.g. for a position) · kk мүмкін (able but not certain to happen) · la possibilis (able but not certain to happen) · arz ممكن (able but not certain to happen) · bg изпълним (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · gl posíbel (able but not certain to happen) · ru вероя́тный (able but not certain to happen) · fi mahdollinen (able but not certain to happen) · nl doenlijk (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · ro posibil (able but not certain to happen) · hu lehetséges (able but not certain to happen) · ia possibile (able but not certain to happen) · vo mögik (able but not certain to happen) · km អាច (able but not certain to happen) · he אפשרי (able but not certain to happen) · sl mogoč (able but not certain to happen) · gl posíbel (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · ar مُمْكِن (able but not certain to happen) · yi מיגלעך (able but not certain to happen) · lv iespējams (able but not certain to happen) · dsb móžny (able but not certain to happen) · vi có thể (able but not certain to happen) · fo møguligur (able but not certain to happen) · it possibile (able but not certain to happen) · yai мумкин (able but not certain to happen) · nrf possibl'ye (able but not certain to happen) · fa ممکن (able but not certain to happen) · es posible (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · et võimalik (able but not certain to happen) · sv möjlig (able but not certain to happen) · hu szóba jöhető (being considered, e.g. for a position) · cy posib (able but not certain to happen) · sh izvòdiv (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · ca possible (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · es posible (able but not certain to happen) · th เป็นไปได้ (able but not certain to happen) · lb méiglech (able but not certain to happen) · ne सम्भव (able but not certain to happen) · tr mümkün (able but not certain to happen) · az həyata keçirilə bilən (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · fr faisable (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · da mulig (able but not certain to happen) · sl možen (able but not certain to happen) · ko 가능하다 (able but not certain to happen) · pl możliwy (able but not certain to happen) · az yerinə yetirilə bilən (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · lv iespējams (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · pt possível (able but not certain to happen) · csb mòżlëwi (able but not certain to happen) · fj rawa (able but not certain to happen) · eo ebla (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · sv möjlig (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · ja ありうる (able but not certain to happen) · liv võidõb (able but not certain to happen) · hy հնարավոր (able but not certain to happen) · el πιθανός (able but not certain to happen) · eo eventuala (able but not certain to happen) · ia possibile (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · ru возмо́жный (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · uk можли́вий (able but not certain to happen) · rue можный (able but not certain to happen) · uz mumkin (able but not certain to happen) · se vejolaš (able but not certain to happen) · hsb móžny (able but not certain to happen) · lt galimas (able but not certain to happen) · se vejolaš (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · ast posible (able but not certain to happen) · ru выполни́мый (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · nl mogelijk (being considered, e.g. for a position) · nl overwogen (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · mi āhei (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · hi मुमकिन (able but not certain to happen) · ga féideartha (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · el εφικτός (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · ang mihtlīċ (able but not certain to happen) · nl denkbaar (being considered, e.g. for a position) · cmn 可能 (able but not certain to happen) · hu lehetséges (being considered, e.g. for a position) · de möglich (able but not certain to happen) · haw hiki (able but not certain to happen) · az mümkün (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · ru подходя́щий (being considered, e.g. for a position) · ka შეიძლება (able but not certain to happen) · nl doenbaar (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · sh izvòdljiv (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · kk ықтимал (able but not certain to happen) · sk možný (able but not certain to happen) · ca possible (able but not certain to happen) · nl mogelijk (able but not certain to happen) · az mümkün (able but not certain to happen) · fr possible (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · tl posible (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · th เป็นไปได้ (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · pt possível (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · be мажлі́вы (able but not certain to happen) · ast posible (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · nl haalbaar (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · el δυνατός (being considered, e.g. for a position) · is mögulegur (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · is hægur (able but not certain to happen) · hu lehetséges (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · lv veicams (capable of being done or achieved; feasible) · fr possible (able but not certain to happen) · ru возмо́жный (able but not certain to happen)