Possible
What it means
Able to happen, exist, be done, or be true.
Reach for it when describing feasibility or uncertainty without promising likelihood
A same-day repair was possible once the replacement valve arrived.
Words to choose between 8
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal |
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everyday
Fits when a practical method can function adequately
Careful Workable means more than merely possible and may still be far from ideal.
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warm
Fits when effort can realistically reach a goal
Careful It does not fit events, explanations, or conditions that no one achieves.
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warm
within reach
Fits when encouragement should stress realistic closeness
Careful The phrase overstates a distant or barely theoretical possibility.
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professional
Fits when a plan can realistically be carried out
Careful Feasibility concerns practical execution, not whether a claim may be true.
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professional
plausible
Fits when an explanation is credible enough to consider
Careful Plausibility concerns likelihood, not whether an action can be done.
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professional
Fits when an option can work and continue under real conditions
Careful Viable is stronger than possible and often requires evidence of sustainability.
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formal
Fits when a desired level or result lies within reach
Careful The word does not fit neutral events or factual possibilities.
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formal
conceivable
Fits when something can be imagined or accepted in reasoning
Careful A conceivable idea may be physically or financially impossible.
Opposites 3
- impossible
- infeasible
- unattainable
Common phrases 3
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make possible
A donated pump helped make possible the reopening of the upper fields.
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as soon as possible
The team will return as soon as possible after the road is declared safe.
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possible explanation
A blocked vent remained one possible explanation for the pressure change.
Word family 1
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated