Meaning & use

potentially

adverb·Academic

Possibly, in a way that could happen or develop under the right conditions.

See it in a sentence

The medication could potentially cause drowsiness in some patients who take it.

This discovery is potentially the biggest breakthrough in the field in decades.

A note on using this word

Potentially signals a real but unconfirmed possibility, softer than saying something will definitely happen.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

definitelycertainly

Make it your own

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