viability

noun

vi·​a·​bil·​i·​ty ˌvī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce viability (audio)
Synonyms of viabilitynext
: the quality or state of being viable: such as
a(1)
: the ability to live, grow, and develop
the viability of seeds under dry conditions
(2)
: the capability of a fetus to survive outside the uterus
fetal viability
b
: the ability to function adequately
The viability of lymphocytes serially harvested from stored bank blood …Biological Abstracts
c
: the ability to succeed or be sustained
This year's market turmoil had called into question the viability of the investment-banking business model …Wall Street Journal
Getting an informed start now may be essential to future growth and economic viability of the U.S. wine industry.Gordon W Murchie

Examples of viability in a Sentence

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.
The viability of robotaxis as a business might be a bit unclear. Eric D. Lawrence, USA Today, 15 Dec. 2025 The latest warning about Platner’s viability against Collins came last month in the form of an internal poll from Democratic group EMILYs List, which promotes women candidates and is backing Mills. Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 14 Dec. 2025 The success of STEP in demonstrating this commercial viability will pave the way for the development of a fleet of fusion power plants around the world. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 14 Dec. 2025 Shares of Oracle are up 32% year to date, but the cloud infrastructure company has seen shares crater more than 33% in the past three months on concern about its debt level and the financial viability of its massive AI deals . Pia Singh, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for viability

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of viability was in 1837

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Cite this Entry

“Viability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/viability. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.

Medical Definition

viability

noun
vi·​a·​bil·​i·​ty ˌvī-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē How to pronounce viability (audio)
plural viabilities
: the quality or state of being viable : the ability to live, grow, and develop

More from Merriam-Webster on viability

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