conceivable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word 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.
It remains entirely conceivable that our mid-year forecast of the 4.5% area is very achievable, but for now we’re undeniably looking up in yield, and we remain in an overshoot tendency,” he said.
From Barron's • May 20, 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
Asked when the vote could be held, he said it was "perfectly conceivable to have a second referendum by 2028".
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
That could mean these funds could be set to buy stocks in every conceivable scenario in the month of April, the analysts added.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
In even the tiniest neighborhood around the singularity, the curve takes on almost every conceivable value over and over and over again.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
