Dictionary

potentially en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /pəˈtenʃəli/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pótis Proto-Italic *potis Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Italic *-ējō Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ēō Proto-Italic *potēō Proto-Italic *potēnts Latin potēns Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin potentia Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Late Latin potentialisder. English potential Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English potentially From potential + -ly.

Meanings

1. In a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way.
   • Its impending end has rung alarm bells across social media, with a baseline tariff as high as 145% depending on the carrier set to take effect on Chinese imports, potentially more than doubling the cost for all those cheap products deal-hungry Americans scooped up. 2025 May 2, Elisabeth Buchwald and Ramishah Maruf, “A massive tariff on millions of Americans’ purchases just went into effect — cue the chaos”, in CNN:
   • Nevertheless, it is clear that the global energy demand for air-conditioning will grow substantially as nations become more affluent, with the consequences of climate change potentially accelerating the demand. 2013 September-October, Michael Sivak, “Will AC Put a Chill on the Global Energy Supply?”, in American Scientist:
2. (obsolete) Powerfully, strongly.
   • I freely assert, that the cosmopolite philosopher cannot, for his life, point out one single peaceful influence, which within the last sixty years has operated more potentially upon the whole broad world, taken in one aggregate, than the high and mighty business of whaling. 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

equipotentially · potensh · potentially hazardous object

Synonyms

in posse

Translations (11)

nl potentieel (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way) · fr potentiellement (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way) · it potenzialmente (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way) · nb potensielt (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way) · pl potencjalnie (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way) · ca potencialment (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way) · ka პოტენციურად (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way) · es presuntamente (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way) · el ενδεχομένως (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way) · es potencialmente (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way) · pt potencialmente (in a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way)