Possible
Pronunciation
- RP IPA: /ˈpɒsᵻbl̩/
- GenAm IPA: /ˈpɑsəbl̩/
- Hyphenation: pos + si + ble
Origin
From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin possibilis ("possible"), from Latin posse ("to be able"); see power.
Full definition of possible
Adjective
possible
- (usually not comparable) Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.Rain tomorrow is possible, but I wouldn't bet on it.It's not just possible, it's probable.
- 1898, Winston Churchill, The Celebrity Chapter 8, 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.
- (comparable) Capable of being done or achieved; feasible.It's possible for anyone to learn to pay the bagpipes.
- 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.
- Peace between Israel and the Arab countries is "more possible than any time before," says ex-Arab League U.N. ambassador Clovis Maskoud.
- 2013-06-29, A punch in the gut, 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.
- Being considered, e.g. for a position.Jones and Smith are both possible for the opening in sales.
Derived terms
- as much as possible
- ASAP (as soon as possible)
- possibly
Antonyms
- (able but not certain to happen) certain, inevitable, impossible
- (capable of being done) impossible
Noun
possible
(plural possibles)- A possible one
- (colloquial, rare) A possible choice, notably someone being considered for a position.Jones is a possible for the new opening in sales.
- (rare) A particular event that may happen.