conceivable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of conceivable
Explanation
If you see yellowish skies on a humid, spring evening in Kansas, it is entirely conceivable that a tornado is in the making. That is to say, it's imaginable or even possible, so make sure you take every conceivable precaution. If you conceive of something, you imagine or think of it. So, it makes sense that the adjective conceivable describes things that can be imagined or thought of. People often use the word conceivable in extreme contexts. If you look everywhere for your homework but still can't find it, you might declare, "I searched in every conceivable location! My homework must have disappeared." In response, your teacher might remark that disappearing homework is inconceivable, or "impossible to imagine."
Vocabulary lists containing conceivable
Ungifted
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 6
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Hard Times
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a debate, Swinney said it was "perfectly conceivable" that a vote on the constitution could be held within two years.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
The prediction markets’ goal is to create tradeable assets out of every conceivable difference in human opinion that wouldn’t get them into too much legal or public-relations trouble.
From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026
For decades, closure of the strait was regarded as something that was conceivable in theory, but operationally improbable in practice, Morgan Stanley noted.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
Before this March, Nebraska had failed to win a tournament game in just about every manner conceivable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026
It is perhaps conceivable that a planet could survive the evolution of a star into a pulsar; or a planet could be captured at a later time.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
