possible

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin possibilis (“possible”), from Latin posse (“to be able”); see power. Displaced Old English mihtlīċ (“possible”), which was cognate with Dutch mogelijk (“possible”) and German möglich (“possible”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

possible (comparative possibler or more possible, superlative possiblest or most possible)

  1. (usually not comparable) Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.
    Synonyms: futurable; see also Thesaurus:possible
    Antonyms: certain, inevitable, impossible
    Rain tomorrow is possible, but I wouldn't bet on it.
    It's not just possible, it's probable.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 8, in The Celebrity:
      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.
  2. (comparable) Capable of being done or achieved; feasible.
    Synonyms: achievable, doable, viable
    Antonym: impossible
    It's possible for anyone to learn to pay the bagpipes.
    • 1901, Louis Freeland Smith, The Public, volume 4, page 438:
      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.
    • 1993, September 10, “Lee Michael Katz”, in Expectant Mideast hopes to bear twin peace deals‎[1], page 2A:
      Peace between Israel and the Arab countries is "more possible than any time before," says ex-Arab League U.N. ambassador Clovis Maskoud.
    • 2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 72-3:
      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.
  3. Being considered, e.g. for a position.
    Jones and Smith are both possible for the opening in sales.
  4. Apparently valid, likely, plausible.
    Synonyms: likely, plausible
    Antonym: implausible

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun[edit]

possible (plural possibles)

  1. A possible one.
  2. (colloquial, rare) A possible choice, notably someone being considered for a position.
    Jones is a possible for the new opening in sales.
  3. (rare) A particular event that may happen.

Synonyms[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin possibilis.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

possible (masculine and feminine plural possibles)

  1. possible
    Antonym: impossible

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin possibilis.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

possible (plural possibles)

  1. possible

Related terms[edit]

Noun[edit]

possible m (plural possibles)

  1. The possible, feasible, what can be done, achieved etc.
    J'ai fait mon possible pour votre fils, mais sans discipline, il ne s'efforce pas à plain.
    I've done what I can for your son, but without discipline, he won't put in full effort.

Further reading[edit]

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