potentially

American  

[puh-ten-shuh-lee] / pəˈtɛn ʃə li /

adverb

1. possibly but not yet actually.

   potentially useful information.

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Etymology

Origin of potentially

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; potential + -ly

Explanation

Use the adverb potentially to describe something that could happen or might be true. Your backyard leaf burning project, for example, is potentially dangerous. When there's a possibility of something occurring or becoming reality, use the word potentially. All babies are potentially geniuses, and you might optimistically watch new TV comedies every fall in the belief that they're potentially funny. In other words, babies might turn out to be brilliant, and TV shows have the possibility of making you laugh out loud. The root word here is potential, from the Latin potentia, "power, might or force."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

potentially

That may not seem like much, but it means a loss of potentially hundreds of dollars a head.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

A deal potentially valued around $7 billion could come together soon, the report said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Internet-connected cameras have become a background fixture of daily life: security systems, doorbells, traffic cameras, baby monitors—and potentially any of them are vulnerable to snooping, say cybersecurity experts and hackers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

“With bonds offering potentially similar returns, but considerably lower expected volatility, investors such as pension funds and retirement managers may have greater incentives to shift money from stocks into fixed income,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026

The last thing they needed as they flew a magical Greek trireme into a potentially hostile Roman camp was a middle-aged satyr in gym clothes waving a club and yelling “Die!”

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• likely
• possibly
• probably