Dictionary.com

viable

[ vahy-uh-buhl ]
/ ˈvaɪ ə bəl /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

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. 2023

How to use viable in a sentence

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
FEEDBACK