possibility

English

Etymology

From Middle French possibilité, from Old French possibilite, from Late Latin possibilitās (“possibility”), from Latin possibilis (“possible”); see possible.

Pronunciation

Noun

possibility (countable and uncountable, plural possibilities)

  1. The quality of being possible.
  2. A thing possible; that which may take place or come into being.
    • 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
      Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.
  3. An option or choice, usually used in context with future events.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

  • logical possibility
  • possibility theory

Translations

Further reading

  • possibility in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • possibility in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
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