potentially

adverb

po·​ten·​tial·​ly pə-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)lē 

: in a potential or possible state or condition

—used to describe the possible results or effects of something

a potentially dangerous situation [=a situation that has the potential to be or become dangerous]

a potentially useful feature

By creating a personal home page, anyone can publish material that potentially can be read by millions of people worldwide.

—Peter H. Lewis

The phenomenon seemed significant for both the science of immunology and, potentially, for medicine.

—Daniel J. Kevles

Potentially adding to the cost of the bail-out is the prevailing FDIC notion that some banks are simply too big to fail.

—L. J. Davis

The result, they say, is that children are less compelled to play outside, potentially stunting emotional and physical development and exacerbating a nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity.

—Sumathi Reddy

Examples of potentially in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Using solar power to keep the battery topped up potentially allows a drone to lie in ambush and watch for an extended, if not indefinite, period. —David Hambling, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

The bill is funded in part though funding cuts to food stamps, upon which many low-income Americans in red states rely, as well as to Medicaid, potentially spelling the end for many rural hospitals. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 1 July 2025

These seemingly innocuous actions can kindle dry grass, potentially triggering a wildfire. —Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2025

The majority saw it as a compromise – and potentially the only way to pass the camping ban – after residents filed an ethics complaint in response to the flip-flop on June 16. —Tim Clouser, The Washington Examiner, 1 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for potentially

• essentially
• confidentially
• exponentially
• inferentially
• experientially