Trivia Time

Which scientist of the 19th century experimented with potential energy?

Test Your Knowledge

potential

American  

[puh-ten-shuhl] / pəˈtɛn ʃəl /

adjective

1. possible, as opposed to actual.

   the potential uses of nuclear energy.

2. capable of being or becoming.

   a potential danger to safety.

3. Grammar. expressing possibility.

   the potential subjunctive in Latin; the potential use of can in I can go.

4. Archaic. potent.

---

noun

• potentials
  plural

1. possibility; potentiality.

   an investment that has little growth potential.

   Synonyms:

   potency, capacity

2. a latent excellence or ability that may or may not be developed.

3. Grammar.

   1. a potential aspect, mood, construction, case, etc.

   2. a form in the potential.

4. Electricity. electric potential.

5. Mathematics, Physics. a type of function from which the intensity of a field may be derived, usually by differentiation.

6. someone or something that is considered a worthwhile possibility.

   The list of job applications has been narrowed to half a dozen potentials.

potential British  

/ pəˈtɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. 1. possible but not yet actual

   2. (prenominal) capable of being or becoming but not yet in existence; latent

2. grammar (of a verb or form of a verb) expressing possibility, as English may and might

3. an archaic word for potent 1

---

noun

1. latent but unrealized ability or capacity

   Jones has great potential as a sales manager

2. grammar a potential verb or verb form

3. short for electric potential

Synonym Usage

See latent.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpotential
  adjective
• potentially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• potentials
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of potential

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English potencial (from Old French ), from Late Latin potentiālis. See potency, -al ¹

---

Explanation

If you can describe something as possible but not yet actual, choose the adjective potential. Companies try to reach potential customers through advertising. Potential, from the Latin potentia "power," sounds more complicated than it is. It describes something or someone that has the power to become something. A potential success is not yet a success but could be if circumstances are right. When a situation has the potential for disaster, it could turn bad easily. You have potential if you have a natural but undeveloped ability to do something and a building with potential will be really nice once it's fixed up.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

potential potentials

Irish weather service Met Éireann has warned of the potential of flooding, public transport disruption, and very difficult driving conditions.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Still, buying more protection against potential credit risks won’t necessarily precipitate a slowdown in the AI build-out, according to Howard Mason, a financial analyst at Renaissance Macro Research.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Fans who paid $1,000 more than a decade ago for the team’s “timeless tickets” were promised the best available seats for any future home game, including at a potential World Series.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Along that route, the rover encountered a rock called "Cheyava Falls," where scientists identified a potential biosignature.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

Below are some additional examples of individual songs and their potential “partners” that blend well and go together.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

The team also used pattern visual evoked potentials – a painless test that measured how well signals travelled from the retina to the visual cortex.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

"This work reports average QGP temperatures at two distinct stages of evolution and multiple baryonic chemical potentials, marking a significant advance in mapping the QGP's thermodynamic properties," Geurts said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2025

Despite being the world's top cassava producer, "when it comes to the yield, actual yield potentials and all of that, we are still way behind", Diebiru-Ojo said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025

A couple of potentials he liked — Blood Reign and King’s Rain — linking the new band to Slayer’s best-known album, 1986’s “Reign in Blood,” were already in circulation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024

A few of us agreed to help the coach run a clinic during the upcoming summer for the new varsity potentials to prep for the fall season.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• ability
• capability
• capacity
• potentiality
• power

---