potentiality

noun

po·​ten·​ti·​al·​i·​ty pə-ˌten(t)-shē-ˈa-lə-tē 

plural potentialities

1

: the ability to develop or come into existence

2

: potential sense 1

Synonyms

• possibility
• potential

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

And where there is injustice and frustration, the potentialities for violence are greater. —NBC news, 12 Oct. 2025

On foot, there are no boundaries in the land, no divides, nothing but the past and the potentiality of the future. —Michael McColly, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025

Each of these sentiments points to the rich, fertile space that exists at the margins—of the body, of language, of the photograph—while also emphasizing the creative potentialities of touch, the action that propels these often porous edges to meet. —Jessica Simmons-Reid, Artforum, 1 June 2025

The time lapses don’t connect these scenes narratively so much as suggest the potentialities of a constantly warping persona. —Armond White, National Review, 14 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for potentiality

• bisexuality
• collegiality
• conditionality
• congeniality
• conventionality
• conviviality
• dimensionality
• directionality
• emotionality
• essentiality
• eventuality
• grammaticality

Kids Definition

potentiality

noun

po·​ten·​ti·​al·​i·​ty pə-ˌten-chē-ˈal-ət-ē 

plural potentialities

1

: the ability to develop or to come into existence

2

: potential entry 2 sense 1a