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.

Further reading