as in possibilities
something that can develop or become actual
a time when cloning was merely a potential and the stuff of science fiction
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Recent Examples of potentials
The tiles thus became an instrument, a resonating body; the installation paid respect to the generative potentials embedded in natural materials, including the clay soil from which the tiles were made.
—
Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
These signals come in forms such as action potentials (resembling animal nerve cells, though slower) and variation potentials (often linked with stress responses).
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 19 Nov. 2025
That’s no longer the case, and suddenly the possibilities for who wins this category are endless, with Taylor, Wicked’s Ariana Grande, and Sentimental Value’s Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas all feeling like potentials at this stage.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Writing on future potentials for synthetic biology in 1912, none other than Stéphane Leduc — the scientist who, as previously mentioned, gave the field its name — made precisely this claim.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 15 Sep. 2025
However, the Environmental Protection Agency has been working to phase out products like Forane 134a to instead use items with reduced global warming potentials.
—Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 26 Aug. 2025
However, the Environmental Protection Agency has been working to phase out products like Forane 134a to instead use items with reduced global warming potentials.
—Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Aug. 2025
But from the first eight months of the year, Warner Bros looks to be in the prime starting position with a couple of surprises from the horror genre — Sinners and Weapons — leading the pack of potentials, and Apple’s summer smash F1, for which Warner Bros is handling the theatrical release.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2025
This is possible because different elements have distinct formation potentials, allowing for their individual recovery in a high-purity metallic form.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2025
Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
These signals come in forms such as action potentials (resembling animal nerve cells, though slower) and variation potentials (often linked with stress responses).
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 19 Nov. 2025
That’s no longer the case, and suddenly the possibilities for who wins this category are endless, with Taylor, Wicked’s Ariana Grande, and Sentimental Value’s Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas all feeling like potentials at this stage.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Writing on future potentials for synthetic biology in 1912, none other than Stéphane Leduc — the scientist who, as previously mentioned, gave the field its name — made precisely this claim.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 15 Sep. 2025
However, the Environmental Protection Agency has been working to phase out products like Forane 134a to instead use items with reduced global warming potentials.
—Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 26 Aug. 2025
However, the Environmental Protection Agency has been working to phase out products like Forane 134a to instead use items with reduced global warming potentials.
—Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Aug. 2025
But from the first eight months of the year, Warner Bros looks to be in the prime starting position with a couple of surprises from the horror genre — Sinners and Weapons — leading the pack of potentials, and Apple’s summer smash F1, for which Warner Bros is handling the theatrical release.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2025
This is possible because different elements have distinct formation potentials, allowing for their individual recovery in a high-purity metallic form.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potentials
Noun
-
Third-place teams complicate the USMNT’s possibilities At first glance, there is only one straightforward scenario.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Now as then, a strongman has been dislodged in Venezuela, and the field of possibilities has expanded.—
Michael Albertus,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And where there is injustice and frustration, the potentialities for violence are greater.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Kaufman moved there 30 years ago, and since that time the island’s community has diminished by degrees, its youth lured away by better employment prospects in Provo and overseas.—
Henry Wismayer,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
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The risks inherent in the LBO structure are exacerbated by the amount of debt PSKY must incur, its current financial position and future prospects, as well as the lengthy period to close the transaction – which PSKY itself estimates to be 12-18 months following signing.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Potentials.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potentials. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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