Standard Lemma guide

peradventure

adv · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Perchance or maybe; perhaps; supposing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Chance, doubt or uncertainty.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: literary

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

by chance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • perhaps she will call tomorrow
  • we may possibly run into them at the concert
  • it may peradventure be thought that there never was such a time

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: possibly, perchance, perhaps, maybe, mayhap

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

doubt or uncertainty as to whether something is the case

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • this proves beyond peradventure that he is innocent

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: doubt, uncertainty, incertitude, dubiety, doubtfulness, dubiousness

History

Etymology

From Middle English peraventure, peradventure, from Old French par aventure. Spelling modified as though from Latin. Equivalent to per- + adventure.