conceivably

American  

[kuhn-see-vuhb-lee] / kənˈsi vəb li /

adverb

1. as an outside chance; in a way that is possible, though not likely.

2. in a way that is possible to conceive or imagine.

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Explanation

Use the adverb conceivably when you're talking about something that is believable or possible. You could say, for example, that you'll conceivably still be on time to work after oversleeping, especially if you skip breakfast. You might tell your sister that you could conceivably go on every single ride at the state fair in an hour, if you move quickly and don't stop to eat fried dough. You could also say that your favorite baseball team might conceivably win the World Series next year. Conceivably comes from its adjective form, conceivable, and both words are rooted in the Latin concipere, which means "take in, hold, or grasp" and also "become pregnant."

Example Sentences

If Venkatesham and Lange get the next big decision wrong it could conceivably end with Spurs in the Championship, leaving a scar on their record that would be impossible to recover from.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

They’ve already built out their data centers rapidly and are now under pressure from the market to increase their returns on investment, which could conceivably involve reducing these major investments.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

I suppose one can come up with a narrative for why such outside activities conceivably could benefit a company whose CEO is a “superstar.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 16, 2026

Since the 1990s, astronomers have definitively found thousands of such exoplanets, other destinations to which we might conceivably “disperse.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

And when I was tired of it, I might conceivably pick up a biochemistry text.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Related Words

• likely
• perhaps
• probably