possible world

British

noun

logic (in modal logic) a semantic device formalizing the notion of what the world might have been like. A statement is necessarily true if and only if it is true in every possible world

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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 the age of climate change and mounting efforts toward sustainability, cassava is emerging as a possible world crop.

From Salon • May 6, 2024

The winner is probably not in doubt, but all eyes will be on a possible world record.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 21, 2023

“And it’s a preview of a possible world of chaos and turmoil that none of us would want to live in.”

From New York Times • Jun. 11, 2022

"It's a preview of a possible world of chaos and turmoil that none of us would want to live in."

From Reuters • Jun. 11, 2022

Their speculations were purely abstract and theoretical; they applied to any possible world and not to our actual world.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023