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
- unviable adjective
- viability noun
- viably adverb
Etymology
Origin of viable
First recorded in 1820–30; from French, from vi(e) “life” (from Latin vīta; vital ) + -able -able
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.
"This work strongly suggests that lesion-remote astrocytes offer a viable path for limiting chronic inflammation, enhancing functionally meaningful regeneration, and promoting neurological recovery after brain and spinal cord injury and in disease."
From Science Daily
It may only be number crunching, but the love algorithm tells us that there are many viable partners, not just The One.
From BBC
Su said Monday that the district “does not have unlimited funds” but that, despite financial challenges, it put forward “a viable offer” to the union “that we can afford.”
From Los Angeles Times
The fall in AI-related chip stocks suggests that investments into AI are “deteriorating to the point” that returns on investment will be weak and further growth is not viable, he said in his report.
From MarketWatch
A few were broken, but the clay was viable, and most of the items were intact.
From Literature
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.
