Adjacent Words

Possible definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

POS'SIBLE, a. [L. possibilis, from posse. See Power.]
That may be or exist; that may be now, or may happen or come to pass; that may be done; not contrary to the nature of things. It is possible that the Greeks and Turks may now be engaged in battle. It is possible that peace of Europe may continue a century. It is not physically possible that a stream should ascend a mountain, but it is possible that the Supreme Being may suspend a law of nature, that is, his usual course of proceeding. It is not possible that 2 and 3 should be 7, or that the same action should be morally right and morally wrong.
This word when pronounced with a certain emphasis, implies improbability. A thing is possible, but very improbable.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: capable of happening or existing; "a breakthrough may be possible next year"; "anything is possible"; "warned of possible consequences" [ant: impossible]
2: existing in possibility; "a potential problem"; "possible uses of nuclear power" [syn: potential, possible] [ant: actual, existent] n
1: something that can be done; "politics is the art of the possible"
2: an applicant who might be suitable

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin possibilis, from posse to be able, from potis, pote able + esse to be — more at potent, is Date: 14th century 1. a. being within the limits of ability, capacity, or realization <a possible but difficult task> b. being what may be conceived, be done, or occur according to nature, custom, or manners <the best possible care> <the worst possible circumstance> 2. a. being something that may or may not occur <a possible surprise visit> b. being something that may or may not be true or actual <possible explanation> 3. having an indicated potential <a possible housing site> Synonyms: possible, practicable, feasible mean capable of being realized. possible implies that a thing may certainly exist or occur given the proper conditions <a possible route up the west face of the mountain>. practicable implies that something may be effected by available means or under current conditions <a solution that is not practicable in the time available>. feasible applies to what is likely to work or be useful in attaining the end desired <commercially feasible for mass production>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 capable of existing or happening; that may be managed, achieved, etc. (came as early as possible; did as much as possible). 2 that is likely to happen etc. (few thought their victory possible). 3 acceptable; potential (a possible way of doing it). --n. 1 a possible candidate, member of a team, etc. 2 (prec. by the) whatever is likely, manageable, etc. 3 the highest possible score, esp. in shooting etc. Etymology: ME f. OF possible or L possibilis f. posse be able

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Possible Pos"si*ble, a. [F., fr. L. possibilis, fr. posse to be able, to have power; potis able, capable + esse to be. See Potent, Am, and cf. Host a landlord.] Capable of existing or occurring, or of being conceived or thought of; able to happen; capable of being done; not contrary to the nature of things; -- sometimes used to express extreme improbability; barely able to be, or to come to pass; as, possibly he is honest, as it is possible that Judas meant no wrong. With God all things are possible. --Matt. xix. 26. Syn: Practicable; likely. See Practicable.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(possibles) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If it is possible to do something, it can be done. If it is possible to find out where your brother is, we shall... Everything is possible if we want it enough... This morning he had tried every way possible to contact her... It's been a beautiful evening and you have made it all possible. ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft it v-link ADJ to-inf 2. A possible event is one that might happen. He referred the matter to the Attorney General for possible action against several newspapers... Her family is discussing a possible move to America... One possible solution, if all else fails, is to take legal action... ADJ: usu ADJ n 3. If you say that it is possible that something is true or correct, you mean that although you do not know whether it is true or correct, you accept that it might be. It is possible that there's an explanation for all this... = conceivable ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft it v-link ADJ that [vagueness] 4. If you do something as soon as possible, you do it as soon as you can. If you get as much as possible of something, you get as much of it as you can. Please make your decision as soon as possible... I want to learn as much as possible about the industry so that I'm better prepared... Michael sat down as far away from her as possible... ADJ: as adv/pron as ADJ 5. You use possible with superlative adjectives to emphasize that something has more or less of a quality than anything else of its kind. They have joined the job market at the worst possible time... He is doing the best job possible. ADJ: adj-superl ADJ n, adj-superl n ADJ [emphasis] 6. You use possible in expressions such as 'if possible' and 'if at all possible' when stating a wish or intention, to show that although this is what you really want, you may have to accept something different. I need to see you, right away if possible. ...the moral duty to uphold peace if at all possible. ADJ [politeness] 7. If you describe someone as, for example, a possible Prime Minister, you mean that they may become Prime Minister. Bradley has been considered a possible presidential contender himself. = potential ADJ: ADJ n • Possible is also a noun. Kennedy, who divorced wife Joan in 1982, was tipped as a presidential possible... N-COUNT 8. The possible is everything that can be done in a situation. He is a democrat with the skill, nerve, and ingenuity to push the limits of the possible. N-SING: the N

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Potential, in posse. 2. Practicable, feasible, likely.

Moby Thesaurus

accomplishable, achievable, admissible, advisable, algorismic, algorithmic, aliquot, attainable, available, between the lines, cardinal, cogitable, conceivable, conceivably possible, contingent, covert, credible, cryptic, decimal, delitescent, differential, digital, doable, dormant, earthly, esoteric, even, expedient, exponential, feasible, figural, figurate, figurative, finite, fractional, hibernating, hidden, humanly possible, imaginable, imaginary, impair, impossible, infinite, integral, irrational, latent, likely, logarithmic, logometric, lurking, mortal, muffled, mystic, negative, numeral, numerary, numerative, numeric, obfuscated, obscured, occult, odd, on, ordinal, pair, plausible, positive, potential, practicable, practical, prime, probable, radical, rational, reachable, real, realizable, reasonable, reciprocal, sleeping, submerged, submultiple, surd, tenable, thinkable, transcendental, under the surface, underlying, unmanifested, veiled, viable, virtual, workable