viability
Americannoun
-
ability to live, especially under certain conditions.
The viability of a fetus outside the womb has increased dramatically with the advent of new technologies and procedures.
-
the capacity to operate or be sustained.
The viability of the company was guaranteed by the success of its new product.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of viability
First recorded in 1820–30; vi(able) ( def. ) + -ability ( def. )
Explanation
The noun viability means the quality of being able to happen or having a reasonable chance of success. The viability of holding your party at a restaurant might depend on how many guests they can seat. Viability comes from the Latin root vita, meaning "life." So the noun viability also refers to something's capacity to live and grow. When your dog has a litter of puppies, you can't help wondering about the viability of the tiniest one, but if you feed him with an eyedropper and keep him warm, he might make it.
Vocabulary lists containing viability
The Scoop on Net Neutrality
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The Last Lecture
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Vocabulary from the Ninth Republican Debate, February 13, 2016
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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.
"The process of identifying possible materials is so computationally heavy that, in fact, researchers have only been able to theoretically predict the viability of about 20 of these."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
Investing in an electric kiln means the firm is "strengthening the long-term viability of UK brick and roof tile manufacturing", says Renard.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
With Clive, what you got was not just hearing commercial viability, but an understanding of what was going on in the zeitgeist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
If income drops, a job is lost or competing financial priorities emerge, premium payments may be reduced or stopped altogether, potentially undermining the policy’s long-term viability.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
But the urgency of the competition with the Soviets created pressure to adopt the quickest, surest way into space, even if it was a little crude, or sacrificed long-term spacefaring viability for short-term earthly victory.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
