as in possibility
something that can develop or become actual
would like to see a colony on the moon as an actuality and not merely a potentiality
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of potentiality
In a striking parallel to the 1990s, epochal thinking about the potentialities of a high technology society has once again upended politics.
—
Jacob Bruggeman & Casey Eilbert / Made By History, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
Practically, then, the translator reads with an eye to understanding the affordances offered by a text—to re-creating its potentialities, rather than merely offering a lexical equivalent.
—Max Norman, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024
Meanwhile, parsing-of-totality depends on advancing sensing techniques to harness atoms’ deeper patterns and potentiality.
—Pravir Malik, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
The goal, in the end, is to expand and enlarge our sense of self and the potentialities within our craft through careful reading, compositional imitation, and rigorous discussion.
—Ocean Vuong
september 6, Literary Hub, 6 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for potentiality
Jacob Bruggeman & Casey Eilbert / Made By History, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025
Practically, then, the translator reads with an eye to understanding the affordances offered by a text—to re-creating its potentialities, rather than merely offering a lexical equivalent.
—Max Norman, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024
Meanwhile, parsing-of-totality depends on advancing sensing techniques to harness atoms’ deeper patterns and potentiality.
—Pravir Malik, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
The goal, in the end, is to expand and enlarge our sense of self and the potentialities within our craft through careful reading, compositional imitation, and rigorous discussion.
—Ocean Vuong
september 6, Literary Hub, 6 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for potentiality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potentiality
Noun
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After Maggie and Paul were shot to death on June 7, 2021, Alex was found guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, earning two consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
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And Mamdani’s promised rent freeze faces multiple hurdles — including the possibility that outgoing Mayor Eric Adams will stack the Rent Guidelines Board with his own appointees who won’t go along with a freeze.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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WeRide is a member of this year’s Future 50, Fortune’s annual ranking of companies with the greatest potential for growth.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
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The data shows eloralintide offers the potential for strong efficacy with improved tolerability and could serve as an alternative to incretin therapies, said Kenneth Custer, president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Potentiality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potentiality. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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