viable
Americanadjective
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capable of living.
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Physiology.
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physically fitted to live.
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(of a fetus) having reached such a stage of development as to be capable of living, under normal conditions, outside the uterus.
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Botany. able to live and grow.
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vivid; real; stimulating, as to the intellect, imagination, or senses.
a period of history that few teachers can make viable for students.
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practicable; workable.
a viable alternative.
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having the ability to grow, expand, develop, etc..
a new and viable country.
adjective
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capable of becoming actual, useful, etc; practicable
a viable proposition
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(of seeds, eggs, etc) capable of normal growth and development
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(of a fetus) having reached a stage of development at which further development can occur independently of the mother
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of viable
First recorded in 1820–30; from French, from vi(e) “life” (from Latin vīta; see vital) + -able -able
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.
Vocabulary lists containing viable
Power Suffix: -able
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The Kite Runner
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "T" "U" "V" and "W"
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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.
We're doing research on all types of engines, but the priority today is to make this open-fan engine viable.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Qatar, Algeria and Nigeria said they saw “no viable path to compliance” with the EU’s methane regulation, and called for a delay to the penalties and changes to the law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The UK took control of the Scunthorpe steelworks a year ago after China's Jingye Group said it planned to close the site because it was not financially viable, and fully nationalised the plant on Thursday.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
“Court finds that this matter was brought for an improper purpose—to gain the imprimatur of judicial legitimacy for a ‘settlement’ that had no viable basis in law or fact.”
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
He needed to attend fund-raiser after fundraiser just to remain a viable candidate for public office.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
