POTENTIALLY Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

potentially

adverb

Definition of potentially

as in certainly

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of potentially Roberto De Feo, an Italian director and screenwriter, says the breakout success of Obsession and Backrooms has allowed Paolo Strippoli’s campy, fun Italian horror thriller The Spiral, which bowed in Venice and is now potentially up for an Oscar. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 Under the deal, the potentially significant cost of importing millions of barrels of those blending materials is not included in the price. — Cate Brown, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026 The law covers systems such as DigniCap and Paxman, potentially saving patients thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. — Melissa May, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 From Moscow’s perspective, any new attempt by a European state to become a nuclear power would cross a redline and could potentially create a casus belli. — Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for potentially

Recent Examples of Synonyms for potentially

Adverb

While the iPhone Duo’s software certainly felt much smoother and more fluid than Android alternatives, many of its core features have been available on Samsung or Google phones for years.

— Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
From broader cultural debates, including race and equity, to how the league enforces its rules, there are certainly things the new WNBA commissioner will need to address next season and beyond.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of certainly

Adverb

Orantes also expressed frustration with the handling of her father’s arrest — to which federal authorities had clearly alerted some media, who were brought along for the raid.

— Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Albertsons’ reply will clearly be that trying hard was not what Kroger promised.

— Shubha Ghosh, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of clearly

Adverb

Achieving complete reusability with an orbital rocket has never been done before, so SpaceX’s engineering team will undoubtedly face some significant hurdles.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
His favorite part of his job today, undoubtedly, is interacting with customers.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of undoubtedly

Adverb

Halloween candy hasn’t even been handed out yet, but Hilary Duff is definitely in a Christmas mood already.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026
Nolan will, most definitely, be in the running for best director once again, while the likes of Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Samantha Morton, and Robert Pattinson are jostling for position in the various acting races.

— Radhika Seth, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of definitely

Adverb

August Barron was one of the breakout shows of the season; this windswept look will surely find its way onto the right red carpet.

— Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
To move forward and, one day, make reparation would surely mean including voices that might have made Mike Wallace nervous, and perhaps fall well outside Weiss’s favored forty-yard lines.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of surely

Adverb

After all, Jonathan, who was probably alive for President Andrew Jackson's second inauguration in 1833, is still thriving.

— KYLE MELNICK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
But being an editor probably makes writing first drafts harder, or at least slower.

— Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of probably

Adverb

Unwinding the administration’s investments would prove legally and politically difficult — but Democrats likely won’t want to, at least not right away.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Global energy markets are likely more than a year away from returning to normal, the head of the International Energy Agency warned on Tuesday.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of likely

Adverb

More positively, business fundamentals for many AI companies look solid.

— Fred Imbert, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
In Gensler’s Global Workplace Survey Comparison 2023, 94% of employees in high-performing workplaces said working from the office positively affected their individual productivity.

— Tyson Gundersen, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of positively

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“Potentially.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potentially. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of potentially

adverb

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