Dictionary.com

viable

[ vahy-uh-buhl ]
/ ˈvaɪ ə bəl /
See synonyms for: viable / viability on Thesaurus.com

adjective

capable of living.
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.
Botany. able to live and grow.
vivid; real; stimulating, as to the intellect, imagination, or senses: a period of history that few teachers can make viable for students.
practicable; workable: a viable alternative.
having the ability to grow, expand, develop, etc.: a new and viable country.

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Origin of viable

1820–30; <French, equivalent to vie life (<Latin vīta) + -able-able

OTHER WORDS FROM viable

vi·a·bil·i·ty, nounvi·a·bly, adverbun·vi·a·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH viable

feasible, viable
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to viable

usable, feasible, applicable, possible, workable, operable, doable

Example sentences from the Web for viable

British Dictionary definitions for viable

viable
/ (ˈvaɪəbəl) /

adjective

capable of becoming actual, useful, etc; practicablea viable proposition
(of seeds, eggs, etc) capable of normal growth and development
(of a fetus) having reached a stage of development at which further development can occur independently of the mother

Derived forms of viable

viability, noun

Word Origin for viable

C19: from French, from vie life, from Latin vīta
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for viable

viable
[ vī′ə-bəl ]

adj.

Capable of living, developing, or germinating under favorable conditions.
Capable of living outside the uterus. Used of a fetus or newborn.

Other words from viable

vi′a•bil′i•ty n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.