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

That hasn’t happened, and attacks continue to fly, potentially weakening the eventual GOP nominee. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Mar. 2026

Now Duke and its coach must hope that Saturday’s injury woes are just a bump in the road of a potentially special season — and not something that sinks the Blue Devils’ chances of making history. —Brendan Marks, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026

Worries about the war have sidelined other concerns that had gripped the market in recent weeks around private credit risks and the disruptive — potentially disinflationary — impact of artificial intelligence. —Michael MacKenzie, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026

The Red Sox offense isn’t projected to be particularly powerful, Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman, and lefty killer Rob Refsnyder gone, and fellow lefty specialist Romy Gonzalez injured and potentially headed for shoulder surgery. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for potentially

• essentially
• confidentially
• exponentially
• inferentially
• experientially