noun · 8 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
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˌpɒs.ɪˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/
General-American:/ˌpɑ.səˈbɪl.ə.ti/
General-American:[ˌpɑ.səˈbɪl.ə.ɾi]
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɪlɪti
CMU ARPABET:P AA2 S AH0 B IH1 L AH0 T IY2
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The quality of being possible.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
'There is little possibility of that happening' 'I'd say there's rather a strongish possibility that it won't.'
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: possibleness
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A thing possible; that which may take place or come into being.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: contingency
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An option or choice, usually used in context with future events.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
From Middle English possibilite, from Middle French possibilité (from Old French possibilite) and directly from Late Latin possibilitās (“possibility”), from Latin possibilis (“possible”); see possible. By surface analysis, possible + -ity.
Across languages
Translations
128 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
mundësi
— quality of being possible
Arabic:
اِحْتِمَال
(iḥtimāl)
— quality of being possible
Armenian:
հնարավորություն
(hnaravorutʻyun)
— quality of being possible
Aromanian:
pusibilitati
— quality of being possible
Azerbaijani:
imkan
— quality of being possible
Azerbaijani:
ehtimal
— quality of being possible
Belarusian:
магчы́масць
(mahčýmascʹ)
— quality of being possible
Bulgarian:
възмо́жност
(vǎzmóžnost)
— quality of being possible
Chinese Mandarin:
可能性
(kěnéngxìng)
— quality of being possible
Czech:
možnost
— quality of being possible
Danish:
mulighed
— quality of being possible
Dutch:
mogelijkheid
— quality of being possible
Esperanto:
ebleco
— quality of being possible
Finnish:
mahdollisuus
— quality of being possible
French:
possibilité
— quality of being possible
Galician:
posibilidade
— quality of being possible
Georgian:
შესაძლებლობა
(šesaʒlebloba)
— quality of being possible
German:
Möglichkeit
— quality of being possible
Greek:
δυνατότητα
(dynatótita)
— quality of being possible
Greek:
πιθανότητα
(pithanótita)
— quality of being possible
Hebrew:
אֶפְשָׁרוּת
(efsharút)
— quality of being possible
Hindi:
संभावना
(sambhāvnā)
— quality of being possible
Hungarian:
lehetőség
— quality of being possible
Hungarian:
eshetőség
— quality of being possible
Hungarian:
kilátás
— quality of being possible
Hungarian:
esély
— quality of being possible
Icelandic:
möguleiki
— quality of being possible
Ido:
posibleso
— quality of being possible
Indonesian:
kemungkinan
— quality of being possible
Interlingua:
possibilitate
— quality of being possible
Irish:
féidearthacht
— quality of being possible
Italian:
possibilità
— quality of being possible
Japanese:
可能性
(kanōsei)
— quality of being possible
Kabuverdianu:
txansa
— quality of being possible
Kabuverdianu:
xanse
— quality of being possible
Kazakh:
мүмкіндік
(mümkındık)
— quality of being possible
Kazakh:
ықтималдық
(yqtimaldyq)
— quality of being possible
Korean:
가능성
(ganeungseong)
— quality of being possible
Kyrgyz:
мүмкүндүк
(mümkündük)
— quality of being possible
Kyrgyz:
мүмкүнчүлүк
(mümküncülük)
— quality of being possible
Latvian:
iespēja
— quality of being possible
Lithuanian:
galimybė
— quality of being possible
Macedonian:
можност
(možnost)
— quality of being possible
Malay:
kemungkinan
— quality of being possible
Malayalam:
സാധ്യത
(sādhyata)
— quality of being possible
Manx:
jargaght
— quality of being possible
Māori:
āheitanga
— quality of being possible
Marathi:
शक्यता
(śakyatā)
— quality of being possible
Norman:
pôssibilité
— quality of being possible
Norwegian:
mulighet
— quality of being possible
Norwegian Nynorsk:
mogleik
— quality of being possible
Norwegian Nynorsk:
mogelegheit
— quality of being possible
Norwegian Nynorsk:
moglegheit
— quality of being possible
Pannonian Rusyn:
можлївосц
(možljivosc)
— quality of being possible
Persian:
امکان
(emkân)
— quality of being possible
Persian:
احتمال
(ehtemâl)
— quality of being possible
Plautdietsch:
Mäajlichkjeit
— quality of being possible
Polish:
możliwość
— quality of being possible
Polish:
możność
— quality of being possible
Portuguese:
possibilidade
— quality of being possible
Romanian:
posibilitate
— quality of being possible
Romansh:
pussaivladad
— quality of being possible
Russian:
возмо́жность
(vozmóžnostʹ)
— quality of being possible
Northern Sami:
vejolašvuohta
— quality of being possible
Serbo-Croatian:
могу́ћно̄ст
— quality of being possible
Serbo-Croatian:
mogúćnōst
— quality of being possible
Slovak:
možnosť
— quality of being possible
Slovene:
možnost
— quality of being possible
Spanish:
posibilidad
— quality of being possible
Swahili:
uweza
— quality of being possible
Swahili:
uwezekano
— quality of being possible
Swedish:
möjlighet
— quality of being possible
Tajik:
имкон
(imkon)
— quality of being possible
Thai:
ความเป็นไปได้
(kwaam-bpen-bpai-dâi)
— quality of being possible
Turkish:
ihtimal
— quality of being possible
Turkish:
olasılık
— quality of being possible
Turkish:
imkân
— quality of being possible
Turkish:
olanak
— quality of being possible
Ukrainian:
можли́вість
(možlývistʹ)
— quality of being possible
Uyghur:
ئىمكانىيەت
(imkaniyet)
— quality of being possible
Uyghur:
مۇمكىنلىك
(mumkinlik)
— quality of being possible
Uyghur:
مۇمكىنچىلىك
(mumkinchilik)
— quality of being possible
Uzbek:
imkon
— quality of being possible
Uzbek:
ehtimol
— quality of being possible
Uzbek:
mumkinlik
— quality of being possible
Vietnamese:
sự có thể
— quality of being possible
Vietnamese:
khả năng
— quality of being possible
Volapük:
mög
— quality of being possible
Volapük:
mögod
— quality of being possible
Arabic:
إِمْكَانِيَّة
(ʔimkāniyya)
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Catalan:
possibilitat
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Esperanto:
eblo
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Finnish:
mahdollisuus
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Galician:
posibilidade
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Greek:
δυνατότητα
(dynatótita)
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Hebrew:
אֶפְשָׁרוּת
(efsharút)
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Hungarian:
lehetőség
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Hungarian:
eshetőség
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Ido:
posiblajo
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Malay:
kemungkinan
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Malayalam:
സാധ്യം
(sādhyaṁ)
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Norwegian Nynorsk:
mogelegheit
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Norwegian Nynorsk:
moglegheit
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Norwegian Nynorsk:
mogleik
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Polish:
możliwość
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Romanian:
posibil
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Romanian:
posibilă
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Northern Sami:
vejolašvuohta
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Spanish:
posibilidad
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Turkish:
olabilirlik
— a thing possible; that which may take place or come into being
Arabic:
إِمْكَانِيَّة
(ʔimkāniyya)
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Bulgarian:
вероятност
(verojatnost)
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Catalan:
possibilitat
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Finnish:
vaihtoehto
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Greek:
επιλογή
(epilogí)
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Hebrew:
אֶפְשָׁרוּת
(efsharút)
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Italian:
opportunità
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Kabuverdianu:
txansa
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Kabuverdianu:
xanse
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Malay:
kemungkinan
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Norwegian Nynorsk:
høve
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Norwegian Nynorsk:
mogelegheit
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Norwegian Nynorsk:
moglegheit
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Norwegian Nynorsk:
mogleik
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Polish:
możliwość
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Romansh:
pussaivladad
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Spanish:
posibilidad
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
Ottoman Turkish:
اختیار
(ihtiyâr)
— option or choice, usually used in context with future events
