possibility

noun

pos·​si·​bil·​i·​ty ˌpä-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

plural possibilities

1

: the condition or fact of being possible

There is a strong/real/remote/faint possibility that I'll get the job.

—usually used with of

the possibility of rain today

It is not outside the range/realm of possibility that we'll win.

2

archaic : one's utmost power, capacity, or ability

3

: something that is possible

Rain is a possibility today.

The future holds untold possibilities.

We exhausted all the possibilities. [=we did everything we could think of]

4

: potential or prospective value

—usually used in plural

the house had great possibilities

Synonyms of possibility

• potential
• prospect
• potentiality

Examples of possibility in a Sentence

There is a strong possibility that I will not be chosen for the job.

Have you considered the possibility that you may be wrong?

My first two ideas didn't work, but I thought of a third possibility.

The future holds untold possibilities.

His degree and job experience give him a wide range of possibilities for a career.

a man of undetermined possibilities

The old house might not look like much now, but it has possibilities.

Recent Examples on the Web

And mistaking one for the other is another legacy of how the Cold War foreshortened the humanistic possibilities of the intellectual revolution of the past eighty years—a revolution that has, miraculously, allowed people to communicate with machines using human languages. —Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 18 May 2026

Building on prior appellate rulings, the court of appeal held SCPMG did not have the burden of negating any possibility Doremus may have been engaged in work tasks at the time of the accident. —Dan Eaton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026

Quantum computers can handle a massive number of mathematical possibilities at once and complete calculations once considered impossible. —Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 18 May 2026

This raises the alarming possibility that the exposure chain within Uganda is larger than currently known. —Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing possibility

• beyond/outside the bounds of possibility
• outside the range/realm of possibility
• raise the possibility
• within the bounds of possibility
• within the range/realm of possibility

Rhymes for possibility

• affability
• audibility
• bistability
• capability
• changeability
• contractility
• credibility
• culpability
• disability
• disutility
• durability
• fallibility

Kids Definition

possibility

noun

pos·​si·​bil·​i·​ty ˌpäs-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

plural possibilities

1

: the state or fact of being possible

2

: something possible