potential
Americanadjective
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possible, as opposed to actual.
the potential uses of nuclear energy.
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capable of being or becoming.
a potential danger to safety.
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Grammar. expressing possibility.
the potential subjunctive in Latin; the potential use of can in I can go.
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Archaic. potent.
noun
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potentials
plural
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possibility; potentiality.
an investment that has little growth potential.
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a latent excellence or ability that may or may not be developed.
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Grammar.
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a potential aspect, mood, construction, case, etc.
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a form in the potential.
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Electricity. electric potential.
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Mathematics, Physics. a type of function from which the intensity of a field may be derived, usually by differentiation.
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someone or something that is considered a worthwhile possibility.
The list of job applications has been narrowed to half a dozen potentials.
adjective
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possible but not yet actual
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(prenominal) capable of being or becoming but not yet in existence; latent
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grammar (of a verb or form of a verb) expressing possibility, as English may and might
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an archaic word for potent 1
noun
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latent but unrealized ability or capacity
Jones has great potential as a sales manager
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grammar a potential verb or verb form
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short for electric potential
Synonym Usage
See latent.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing potential
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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An Inspirational Back-to-School Word List
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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.
See Examples For:
Ukrainians consult them to track potential Russian attacks, like people check weather applications for storms but with less certainty, shorter warning, and deadly stakes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Key player Rodri is heading for Barcelona, too, with Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez a potential replacement.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The federal plan also calls for potential reductions in releases from Powell and voluntary conservation measures by upper basin states.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Research involving older and inexpensive medications can be difficult to fund, even when those drugs have the potential to improve patient care while lowering costs.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
It’s not like there are a lot of potential crushes running around right under my nose.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
To make the system more powerful, the researchers combined the framework with machine learning potentials that capture how atoms interact and move.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2026
He said a UK-wide position was needed around the "appropriate regulation not just of existing technology and platforms but the potentials of the futures through AI."
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026
Other analysts are also optimistic about the company’s growth potentials.
From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 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
Between the major groups of insecticides, and between them and other chemicals, there are interactions that have serious potentials.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
