potentiality

noun

po·​ten·​ti·​al·​i·​ty pə-ˌten(t)-shē-ˈa-lə-tē How to pronounce potentiality (audio)
plural potentialities
1
: the ability to develop or come into existence
2

Examples of potentiality in a Sentence

would like to see a colony on the moon as an actuality and not merely a potentiality
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a striking parallel to the 1990s, epochal thinking about the potentialities of a high technology society has once again upended politics. Jacob Bruggeman & Casey Eilbert / Made By History, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025 Practically, then, the translator reads with an eye to understanding the affordances offered by a text—to re-creating its potentialities, rather than merely offering a lexical equivalent. Max Norman, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024 Meanwhile, parsing-of-totality depends on advancing sensing techniques to harness atoms’ deeper patterns and potentiality. Pravir Malik, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024 If Vietnam damaged the credibility of experts, experts were no more inclined to value the democratic potentialities of the public. Daniel Bessner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2017 See All Example Sentences for potentiality

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of potentiality was in 1625

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Cite this Entry

“Potentiality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potentiality. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

potentiality

noun
po·​ten·​ti·​al·​i·​ty pə-ˌten-chē-ˈal-ət-ē How to pronounce potentiality (audio)
plural potentialities
1
: the ability to develop or to come into existence
2

More from Merriam-Webster on potentiality

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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