viable

American  

[vahy-uh-buhl] / ˈvaɪ ə bəl /

adjective

1. 

   capable of living.

2. Physiology.

   1. physically fitted to live.

   2. (of a fetus) having reached such a stage of development as to be capable of living, under normal conditions, outside the uterus.

3. Botany. able to live and grow.

4. vivid; real; stimulating, as to the intellect, imagination, or senses.

   a period of history that few teachers can make viable for students.

5. practicable; workable.

   a viable alternative.

   Synonyms:

   adaptable, usable, feasible, practical

6. having the ability to grow, expand, develop, etc..

   a new and viable country.

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viable British  

/ ˈvaɪəbəl /

adjective

1. capable of becoming actual, useful, etc; practicable

   a viable proposition

2. (of seeds, eggs, etc) capable of normal growth and development

3. (of a fetus) having reached a stage of development at which further development can occur independently of the mother

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Other Word Forms

• viability
  noun
• unviable
  adjective
• viably
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of viable

First recorded in 1820–30; from French, from vi(e) “life” (from Latin vīta; see vital) + -able -able

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Explanation

When something is viable, it has the ability to grow or function properly. A viable seed can develop into a plant, while a viable company has the resources to succeed. The adjective viable refers to something able to function properly and even grow. It is made up of the Latin root vita, which means "life," and the ending -able, which means "to be possible." In terms of science or botany, when a plant is viable it can live and flourish in an environment such as a cactus in the desert. Consider also the Wright brothers, who were the first to develop a viable airplane after many tries and spectacular failures.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

viable

“The debtors were ultimately unable to bring the key parties to a fully consensual arrangement that would have supported a financially viable LIV 2.0 league,” Williams said during the hearing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

"We will continue our work to build a real viable future for Daisy Hill as a general hospital serving its population," Spoerry said.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

The commentary around its chip-manufacturing business “gives us further confidence that Intel Foundry will be viable, some day,” Goldberg wrote in a note to clients.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

"This appears to rule out the Lambda-cold dark matter model as a viable stable solution of the Einstein equations of general relativity, with or without dark energy."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

He envied them because they were different from him, and because, despite their poverty, their language and their culture seemed to offer a viable and dignified alternative.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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Related Words

• applicable
• feasible
• possible
• usable
• workable

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