eventuality

American  

[ih-ven-choo-al-i-tee] / ɪˌvɛn tʃuˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

• eventualities
  plural

1. a contingent event; a possible occurrence or circumstance.

   Rain is an eventuality to be reckoned with in planning the picnic.

2. the state or fact of being eventual; contingent character.

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eventuality British  

/ ɪˌvɛntʃʊˈælɪtɪ /

noun

1. a possible event, occurrence, or result; contingency

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• eventualities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of eventuality

First recorded in 1750–60; eventual + -ity

Explanation

An eventuality is an event that just might happen in the future. For example, I store fresh drinking water in the basement to be prepared for several eventualities. You can see the word "event" at the beginning of eventuality. Use that as a clue to remember that an eventuality is an event that might happen — eventually. Winning the lottery, a Mars landing, finding a cure for cancer, nuclear war: these are just some of the eventualities for which we should either get ready or try to prevent. What do you think are some of the eventualities for which the team should prepare? Tripping, falling, and landing on your butt are all eventualities for which the odds will increase during the ice storm.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eventuality eventualities

The May 10 Substack essay that began circulating in the wake of her Instagram post did nothing to dispel that eventuality.

From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026

It’s turned into an all too familiar ritual: college sports dancing around an eventuality, instead of proactively tackling the hardest parts head-on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Iran had previously said it was ready for any eventuality and defiantly refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which it closed in retaliation for the attack launched on February 28.

From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026

Expectations that the tariffs would drive inflation much higher, for instance — an eventuality that might actually have a genuine effect on the economy and therefore on market values — haven’t been borne out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026

"How was I to know that last night wasn't exactly the eventuality I was here to cope with? I lay low and told a noncommittal story."

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

Fully guaranteed money is protected against all three eventualities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

"So we're getting rid of that variability by making something that's across the board recognisable by your immune system that should cover you from all these eventualities ... a real big paradigm change," he said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

It wouldn’t hurt to make plans for both eventualities, and particularly for your full recovery and re-entry into the world.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2025

“We had a very long list of ‘what ifs,’ in other words eventualities that could happen and how we would deal with them in an emergency,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2025

I just remember a period when, convinced that an apostrophe was definitely required somewhere, I would cunningly suspend a very small one immediately above the “s”, to cover all eventualities.

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author

Related Words

• aftereffect
• contingency
• goings-on
• probability