Meaning & use
potentially
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Meanings
adverbnot comparable
Used to say that something could happen or become true, although it has not yet.
Grammar: Goes before an adjective or verb: potentially dangerous, potentially affect.
Patterns
- potentially + adjective
- potentially + verb
The leak is potentially dangerous if nobody fixes it.
Cutting costs could potentially save the company.
Smoking potentially affects every organ in the body.
adverbnot comparableapproving
Used to describe a person or thing that might develop into something good given the right conditions.
Grammar: Often placed before a noun phrase: a potentially great player.
Patterns
- a potentially great something
She is a potentially brilliant scientist.
This is a potentially huge market for solar panels.
The young goalkeeper is potentially the best in the league.
Common combinations
- potentially dangerous
- Wet floors are potentially dangerous for older visitors.
- potentially fatal
- The disease is potentially fatal if left untreated.
- potentially harmful
- Some online ads link to potentially harmful sites.
- potentially lucrative
- The deal is potentially lucrative for both sides.
- potentially life-changing
- The surgery is potentially life-changing for her.
Synonyms and how they differ
- possibly
- Possibly expresses chance or doubt about whether something happens, while potentially points to a capacity that exists.
- conceivably
- Conceivably means it can be imagined, which is a weaker claim than potentially.
- perhaps
- Perhaps is a casual way to express uncertainty and is usually placed at the start of a clause.
- theoretically
- Theoretically suggests that something works on paper but may not in reality.
Opposites
Word family
- potential noun
- the ability to develop
- potential adjective
- possible in the future
- potentiality noun
- something that may develop
- potentiate verb
- to make more powerful; technical
Commonly confused: potentially or potently?
potentially vs potently
Potently means in a powerful or strong way, not in a way that is merely possible.
Practice
The doctor warned that the infection was ______ serious if it spread.
Choose one answer.
Potentially is the adverb that modifies the adjective 'serious'. 'Potential' is an adjective and cannot modify another adjective, and the other options are not correct forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “potentially”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.