potential

[puh-ten-shuh l]

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adjective

possible, as opposed to actual: the potential uses of nuclear energy.

capable of being or becoming: a potential danger to safety.

Grammar. expressing possibility: the potential subjunctive in Latin; the potential use of can in I can go.

Archaic. potent¹.

noun

possibility; potentiality: an investment that has little growth potential.

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

Grammar.

a potential aspect, mood, construction, case, etc.
a form in the potential.

Electricity. electric potential(def 1).

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

someone or something that is considered a worthwhile possibility: The list of job applications has been narrowed to half a dozen potentials.

Origin of potential

1350–1400; Middle English potencial (< Old French) < Late Latin potentiālis. See potency, -al¹

Related formsnon·po·ten·tial, adjective, noun

Synonyms for potential

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR potential ON THESAURUS.COM

2. See latent. 5. capacity, potency.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for potential

likely, hidden, possible, probable, capability, power, capacity, ability, potentiality, budding, future, wherewithal, aptitude, conceivable, dormant, embryonic, imaginable, implied, inherent, latent

Examples from the Web for potential

Contemporary Examples of potential

The eating disorder field remains divided over the potential efficacy of such measures.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models
Carrie Arnold
January 8, 2015
Is there any chance the potential 2016 hopeful will stand up to the right and embrace paid sick leave?
Christie Blames Parents for Bad Economy
Monica Potts
January 3, 2015
I ask Atefeh and Monir if they see dancing as a form of income in the future, a potential career.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread
IranWire
January 2, 2015
The seedlings of his potential greatness as a leader are sprinkled throughout it.
Mario Cuomo: An OK Governor, but a Far Better Person
Michael Tomasky
January 2, 2015
There was so much beauty, talent, potential, and most importantly, honesty in your work.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen
Parker Molloy
January 1, 2015

Historical Examples of potential

She loomed large, potential, courageous, a woman who held life in her hands.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
It recalls the days when Englishmen were potential lighters; that is, potential rebels.
Alarms and Discursions
G. K. Chesterton
If she be not a mother, you will supplicate her to speak of her potential children.
City of Endless Night
Milo Hastings
Aren't you perhaps exaggerating your potential influence on my life?
The Education of Eric Lane
Stephen McKenna
It is potential, not actual, and can only be appropriated by strenuous exertion.
Meno
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for potential

potential

adjective

possible but not yet actual
(prenominal)capable of being or becoming but not yet in existence; latent

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

an archaic word for potent 1

noun

latent but unrealized ability or capacityJones has great potential as a sales manager

grammar a potential verb or verb form

short for electric potential

Derived Formspotentially, adverb

Word Origin for potential

C14: from Old French potencial, from Late Latin potentiālis, from Latin potentia power

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

Word Origin and History for potential

adj.

late 14c., "possible" (as opposed to actual), from Old French potenciel and directly from Late Latin potentialis "potential," from Latin potentia "power, might, force;" figuratively "political power, authority, influence," from potens "powerful" (see potent). The noun, meaning "that which is possible," is first attested 1817, from the adjective.

potential in Medicine

potential

[pə-tĕn′shəl]

adj.

Capable of being but not yet in existence; latent.

n.

The inherent ability or capacity for growth, development, or coming into being.

The work required to bring a unit electric charge, magnetic pole, or mass from an infinitely distant position to a designated point in a static electric, magnetic, or gravitational field, respectively.

The potential energy of a unit charge at any point in an electric circuit measured with respect to a specified reference point in the circuit or to ground; voltage.