as in possibility
something that can develop or become actual would like to see a colony on the moon as an actuality and not merely a potentiality

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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 potentiality In a striking parallel to the 1990s, epochal thinking about the potentialities of a high technology society has once again upended politics. Jacob Bruggeman & Casey Eilbert / Made By History, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025 Practically, then, the translator reads with an eye to understanding the affordances offered by a text—to re-creating its potentialities, rather than merely offering a lexical equivalent. Max Norman, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024 Meanwhile, parsing-of-totality depends on advancing sensing techniques to harness atoms’ deeper patterns and potentiality. Pravir Malik, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024 The goal, in the end, is to expand and enlarge our sense of self and the potentialities within our craft through careful reading, compositional imitation, and rigorous discussion. Ocean Vuong september 6, Literary Hub, 6 Sep. 2022 See All Example Sentences for potentiality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potentiality
Noun
  • By refusing to specify details of the case, the government keeps the possibility alive of changing their reasoning or their claims to have the same effect for different reasons—just as the mob changes its reasoning for killing Cinna.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Since Olympic charter flights to Milan will be departing from the New York area, and because the Islanders had been promised an event in February 2026, the possibility of doing a big press availability was discussed as an alternative.
    Chris Johnston, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • So far, the season 22 release schedule has only been confirmed for up to episode 6, as there's a potential for a mid-season break for the holidays in November 2025.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The research team also claims that the method holds the potential to significantly reduce battery charging times while improving specific energy and operational lifespan.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Potentiality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potentiality. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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