Potential — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

the inherent capacity for coming into being

the difference in electrical charge between two points in a circuit expressed in volts

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/pətˈɛnʃəl/

🇬🇧British English

/pətˈɛnʃəl/

🇮🇳Indian English

/pətˈɛnʃəl/

3 syllables Say it as /pətˈɛnʃəl/.

Examples

a potential problem
possible uses of nuclear power
potential clients

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

potential drop possible likely potential difference potentiality voltage potency electric potential

Antonyms

actual

Parts of Speech

noun	the inherent capacity for coming into being
noun	the difference in electrical charge between two points in a circuit expressed in volts
adjective	existing in possibility “a potential problem”
adjective	expected to become or be; in prospect “potential clients”

Word Forms

potential	adjective	expected to become or be; in prospect
potency	noun	the inherent capacity for coming into being
possibility	noun	a future prospect or potential
possibleness	noun	capability of existing or happening or being true
likeliness	noun	the probability of a specified outcome
potentiality	noun	the inherent capacity for coming into being

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Potenzial

die inhärente Fähigkeit zur Entstehung

🇫🇷French

potentiel

la capacité inhérente à naître

🇪🇸Spanish

potencial

la capacidad inherente de llegar a ser

🇮🇹Italian

potenziale

la capacità intrinseca di venire in essere

🇳🇱Dutch

potentieel

het inherente vermogen om tot stand te komen

🇵🇹Portuguese

potencial

a capacidade inerente de vir a existir

🇷🇺Russian

потенциал

присущая способность возникать

India

🇮🇳Hindi

संभावना

अस्तित्व में आने की अंतर्निहित क्षमता

🇧🇩Bengali

সম্ভাব্য

অস্তিত্বে আসার সহজাত ক্ষমতা

🇮🇳Tamil

திறன்

உருவாவதற்கான உள்ளார்ந்த திறன்

🇮🇳Telugu

సంభావ్య

ఉనికిలోకి వచ్చే స్వాభావిక సామర్థ్యం

🇮🇳Marathi

संभाव्य

अस्तित्वात येण्याची अंगभूत क्षमता

🇮🇳Gujarati

સંભવિત

અસ્તિત્વમાં આવવાની સહજ ક્ષમતા

🇮🇳Kannada

ಸಂಭಾವ್ಯ

ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುವ ಅಂತರ್ಗತ ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ

🇮🇳Malayalam

സാധ്യത

ഉണ്ടാകാനുള്ള അന്തർലീനമായ ശേഷി

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਸੰਭਾਵੀ

ਹੋਂਦ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਉਣ ਦੀ ਅੰਦਰੂਨੀ ਸਮਰੱਥਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

ممکنہ

وجود میں آنے کی فطری صلاحیت

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

潜在的

形成的内在能力

🇯🇵Japanese

潜在的

生まれてくるための固有の能力

🇰🇷Korean

잠재적인

존재하게 되는 고유한 능력

🇻🇳Vietnamese

tiềm năng

khả năng vốn có để hình thành

🇹🇭Thai

ศักยภาพ

ความสามารถโดยธรรมชาติของการเกิดขึ้น

🇮🇩Indonesian

potensi

kapasitas yang melekat untuk menjadi ada

🇵🇭Filipino

potensyal

ang likas na kapasidad para sa pagkakaroon

🇲🇾Malay

potensi

keupayaan yang wujud untuk wujud

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

محتمل

القدرة الكامنة على المجيء إلى الوجود

🇮🇷Persian

بالقوه

ظرفیت ذاتی برای به وجود آمدن

🇹🇷Turkish

potansiyel

var olmaya yönelik doğal kapasite

🇮🇱Hebrew

פּוֹטֶנצִיאָל

היכולת הטבועה להתהוות

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'potential'?

The primary meaning of 'potential' is 'the inherent capacity for coming into being'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'potential' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'potential' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'potential' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'potential' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'potential' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'potential' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'potential' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'potential' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'potential' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'potential' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted