potentiality

potentiality

English

Etymology

    From potential + -ity.

    Pronunciation

    • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pəˌtɛnʃiˈælɪti/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)
    • (General American) IPA(key): /pəˌtɛn(t)ʃiˈæləti/, [-ɾi]
    • Rhymes: -ælɪti
    • Hyphenation: pot‧ent‧i‧al‧i‧ty

    Noun

    potentiality (countable and uncountable, plural potentialities)

    1. (chiefly uncountable) The quality of being or having potential.
      Synonym: potency
      Hyponyms: multipotentiality, multipotency; plenipotence, plenipotency; pluripotency, pluripotentiality; omnipotence, omnipotency, omnipotentiality
      filled with potentiality
      A new year is filled with potentiality.
    2. (countable) An instance of potential: any given possibility.
      any and all potentialities
      We've been prepping for years, and we like to hope that we're ready for all potentialities — as ready as one can be.
    3. An inherent capacity for growth or development.
    4. An aptitude amenable to development; capability.
    5. (philosophy) A possibility or capacity to be something, as opposed to an actuality describing what something actually is at present.
    6. (physics) Quantum potential.

    Derived terms

    Further reading