viablevi‧a‧ble /ˈvaɪəbəl/ ●○○ adjective 
The committee came forward with one viable solution.economically/commercially/financially viable Will a hotel here be financially viable?► see thesaurus at possible2technical able to continue to live or to develop into a living thing OPP non-viable: viable seeds—viably adverb—viability /ˌvaɪəˈbɪləti/ noun [uncountable]: the long-term economic viability of the companyCOLLOCATIONSadverbseconomically/commercially/financially viable· New projects must be economically viable.nounsa viable alternative· We want to make public transport a viable alternative to using cars.a viable option· Moving the company was not a viable option.a viable proposition (=an idea that will work)· Is this kind of tourism a viable proposition?a viable solution· Perhaps the only viable solution is to merge the hospitals.a viable business· He turned the farm into a viable business.
WORD ORIGINviable
Origin:
1800-1900 French vie ‘life’, from Latin vita; ➔ VITALEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Do you think this is a viable proposition?
- Nuclear energy is the only viable alternative to coal or gas.
- They are in favour of the program, but they want strong assurances that it is viable.
- Response to radiotherapy was assessed and further laser treatment performed if a viable tumour was identified.
- The investment remains beyond reach for many, but the choices today are much broader and more viable than 10 years ago.
- The only viable route to a future of growth is to allow these basic human activities free rein.
- These approaches produced successes, and the subfield of expert systems became commercially viable.
- These are the kinds of decisions on which viable performance improvement is ultimately based.
- This leaves criminal prosecution as the only viable option.
THESAURUS
if something is possible, it can be done or achieved: · I think it’s possible that we could win the race.· I want to get back by 5 o'clock if possible.· Please let me know your answer as soon as possible.
if an idea or plan is feasible, it is possible and you can find a practical way of doing it: · We need to find out first if the idea is technically feasible.· It is not feasible to have security cameras in every part of the building.· Da Silva considered it feasible that uranium could be produced on an industrial scale.
possible and likely to be successful, and therefore worth doing: · Nuclear energy is the only viable alternative to coal or gas.· The product needs to be commercially viable.· We have yet to find a viable solution to the problem.· The company was no longer financially viable (=it could not make enough money to be able to continue).
a workable plan, system, or solution is one that can be done or used: · By early morning, they had arrived at a workable and safe solution.· The company would have a tough job convincing people that the deal was workable.
informal if something is doable, you have enough money, energy, or skill to do it: · This exercise programme is doable for most people.· Do you think the walk is doable?· Hosting great parties is fun, easy, and doable on any budget.· The book is full of interesting and doable recipes.
(also attainable formal) able to be achieved: · A 15% cut in carbon emissions is achievable.· Perfect democracy is not attainable, nor is perfect freedom or perfect justice.
if something is realistic, it seems sensible to think that it can be done or achieved: · a realistic target· Their expectations didn’t seem very realistic.· It is important to set yourself realistic goals.
Longman Language Activatorwhen something can be done something that is possible , can be done: · Travel to other planets may soon be possible.· Detectives can now check every criminal's records, which wouldn't be possible without computers.· The only possible way a woman could rise in class was to marry into a family of higher social standing than her own.it is possible to do something: · Is it possible to find a room in a good hotel for less than $100?if possible: · I want to get back by 5 o'clock if possible.as soon/quickly/big etc as possible: · Please let me know your answer as soon as possible.· We must get her to the hospital as quickly as possible.humanly possible (=use this to emphasize that you will do something as fast, as well etc as possible): · We will deal with all complaints as soon as is humanly possible.do/try everything possible: · The doctors did everything possible to save her life.
if something can be done , it is possible to do it: · The job can be done by Friday if we all make an effort.· I'm sure that more could be done to help the homeless.· Val got her MA while she was working full-time, so it can be done.
one of the things that you could try to do: · One possibility is to offer him more money.· Computers have opened up many exciting possibilities.the possibility of doing something: · We are considering the possibility of providing a new class for advanced students.
a plan, idea, or method that is feasible is possible and is likely to work: · Barrington suggest transporting the supplies by air. This of course is perfectly feasible.· We agreed on a feasible plan and within a week we implemented it.it is feasible to do something: · It is not feasible to have security cameras in every part of the building.it is feasible that: · Da Silva considered it feasible that uranium could be produced on an industrial scale.
a workable way of doing something is a possible way of doing it - use this when you have had a lot of problems finding a suitable way: · There is a dispute over land but we believe we have found a workable solution to this problem.· A new plan provides for loans to students, but to make the system workable more government funding will be needed.
informal a job that is doable is one that can be done: · You did well to even start the project -- at first we didn't think it was doable at all.
an aim or standard that is attainable is one that can be achieved and it is reasonable to try to achieve it: · Perfect democracy is not attainable, nor is perfect freedom or perfect justice.· Every child should be educated to the highest attainable level.
a viable way of doing something is one that is possible and should work well: · Do you think this is a viable proposition?· Nuclear energy is the only viable alternative to coal or gas.· They are in favour of the program, but they want strong assurances that it is viable.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadverbs The project is no longer commercially viable (=certain to make money). Is the project financially viable?
1a viable idea, plan, or method can work successfullyviable alternative/proposition/option etc· New projects must be economically viable.
nouns· We want to make public transport a viable alternative to using cars.
· Moving the company was not a viable option.
(=an idea that will work)· Is this kind of tourism a viable proposition?
· Perhaps the only viable solution is to merge the hospitals.
· He turned the farm into a viable business.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=that can work as successfully)· Hydrogen offers a viable alternative to petrol and diesel.
(=one that is likely to be successful)· It soon became clear that the restaurant was not a viable business.
The project is no longer commercially viable (=certain to make money). (=likely to be or remain financially successful)· Most of the coal mines in the area are no longer economically viable.
Is the project financially viable? (=something you can choose that will be successful)· Surgery may be a viable option when all else fails.
(=likely to be possible or successful)· A complete ban on strikes is not a practical proposition.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Two other developments have helped to make mains signalling commercially viable.· These approaches produced successes, and the subfield of expert systems became commercially viable.· A number of grants and incentives are available for projects which are socially desirable, but not commercially viable without support.· They've devised a series of guidelines that will enable the beauty spot to stay both commercially viable and beautiful.· Still, I suppose the play's commercially viable.· Given the limited scale of release in Britain, the results were encouraging rather than commercially viable.· The point is to be commercially viable.· Indeed, at least one unspecified outfit is thought to have decided that the Architecture-Neutral Format is commercially viable now.
· In recent years coal gasification has become increasingly economically viable due to technological developments.· But they say that around £100 million is needed to ensure such projects are economically viable in the short term.· Nuclear power has never been economically viable.· At present such storage is not economically viable.· Changing print technology will simply serve to reduce further these barriers to entry, making even lower print runs economically viable.· Observers have pointed out that the Gabcikovo power plant could only be economically viable if a substantial amount of water is diverted.· The development of these was not remotely economically viable at pre-1974 oil prices.· It might also finally make recycling economically viable.
· The growth of competition put paid to repeated attempts by the railways and the political authorities to establish a financially viable railway.· The project needs orders of between 180 and 200 aircraft before production is financially viable.· With a minimum wage this nursery would no longer have been financially viable.· The first two figures revealed that everyone was looking to the farm to be financially viable.· It was essential that we become more professional in our outlook and make ourselves more financially viable.· Many builders do not consider it financially viable to maintain a stock of materials at a yard.· The alternative route was chosen on three criteria: that it should be environmentally acceptable, operationally effective and financially viable.· It's the result of years of work by scientists at a nuclear establishment which is branching out to stay financially viable.
· A merger, Nicholson added, is a more viable alternative to keeping the brewery open than the planned management buy-out.· The investment remains beyond reach for many, but the choices today are much broader and more viable than 10 years ago.· Now that it is a more viable way of getting the best possible house, young design talent could quickly transform domestic building.· And it would reduce spending, limit special interest influence and make challengers more viable.· The approach has generally been both more realistic and more viable since those days.
NOUN· It is slightly longer and more expensive, but is nevertheless a viable alternative should the Qatif alignment be politically unfeasible.· General practitioners may need viable alternatives to Graham Butland's proposals to avoid losing responsibility for their practices.· Do you have a viable alternative?· However, because a Court Scheme requires the co-operation of the target it is not a viable alternative to a hostile bid.· The electrical giants of the age, Siemens and Edison, were not yet able to offer a viable alternative.· Without a viable alternative, the impact of higher taxes is to raise business costs and reduce consumer incomes.· Your reviewer recommends Gombrich's Story of Art as a viable alternative.· A merger, Nicholson added, is a more viable alternative to keeping the brewery open than the planned management buy-out.
· We are suffering the failure of viable businesses.· Buller said he and his partner believe there are now enough home computer users to make their service a viable business.· What keeps the propliners of the world still going as viable business propositions is an item known as the bottom line.· He is looking for a partner to retain the pub as a viable business.· But setting up a viable business requires more of its leaders than good looks and a talent for poetry.
· Most schools are in such poor physical condition and are so poorly equipped that this is unlikely to be a viable option.· But a few weeks on the job convinced him that mere maintenance was not, in this instance, a viable option.· This leaves criminal prosecution as the only viable option.· This is not a viable option in the long run.· It would be up to the scientists to decide which is the viable option and which belongs to the realm of science fiction.· This, it seems, was not a viable option.· Moving the company was not a viable option.· As far as business is concerned, a federal takeover of health care was never a viable option.
· Recording the electrical activity of single brain cells in mammals only became a viable proposition in the 1950s.
The committee came forward with one viable solution.economically/commercially/financially viable Will a hotel here be financially viable?► see thesaurus at possible2technical able to continue to live or to develop into a living thing OPP non-viable: viable seeds—viably adverb—viability /ˌvaɪəˈbɪləti/ noun [uncountable]: the long-term economic viability of the companyCOLLOCATIONSadverbseconomically/commercially/financially viable· New projects must be economically viable.nounsa viable alternative· We want to make public transport a viable alternative to using cars.a viable option· Moving the company was not a viable option.a viable proposition (=an idea that will work)· Is this kind of tourism a viable proposition?a viable solution· Perhaps the only viable solution is to merge the hospitals.a viable business· He turned the farm into a viable business.