释义
[ puh -ten -shuh l ] SHOW IPA
/ pəˈtɛn ʃəl / PHONETIC RESPELLING
SEE SYNONYMS FOR potential ON THESAURUS.COM
adjective possible, as opposed to actual: the potential uses of nuclear energy.
capable of being or becoming: a potential danger to safety.
Grammar . expressing possibility: the potential subjunctive in Latin; the potential use of can in I can go.
Archaic . potent1 .
SEE MORE SEE LESS noun possibility; potentiality: an investment that has little growth potential.
a latent excellence or ability that may or may not be developed.
Grammar . a potential aspect, mood, construction, case, etc. a form in the potential. Electricity . electric potential (def. 1).
Mathematics , Physics . a type of function from which the intensity of a field may be derived, usually by differentiation.
someone or something that is considered a worthwhile possibility: The list of job applications has been narrowed to half a dozen potentials.
SEE MORE SEE LESS Origin of potential First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English potencial (from Old French ), from Late Latin potentiālis. See potency, -al1
SYNONYMS FOR potential SEE SYNONYMS FOR potential ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for potential 2 . See latent.
OTHER WORDS FROM potential non·po·ten·tial, adjective, noun Words nearby potential Potemkin village, potence, potency, potent, potentate, potential , potential cautery, potential difference, potential divider, potential energy, potential gradient
Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for potential One wonders what might have become of Rice, Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown had they lived to see their full potential .
How Laurence Fishburne Gave Voice To ‘The Autobiography Of Malcolm X’ | Joi-Marie McKenzie| September 17, 2020| Essence.com
Though not without flaws, the OZ initiative still has extraordinary potential .
Opportunity Zones haven’t fully reached their potential, but don’t write them off yet | jakemeth| September 16, 2020| Fortune
Over the years, I have seen firsthand the immense potential of corporations to nurture economic justice.
Why McDonald’s sets the standard for equitable business models | jakemeth| September 16, 2020| Fortune
Even the potential for such a move is helping to keep the government’s borrowing costs down, investors say.
America’s $20 trillion debt is getting cheaper as it grows | McKenna Moore| September 12, 2020| Fortune
Other potential contenders include Stan Ng and Susan Prescott.
Apple’s leadership evolves ahead of a post-Tim Cook era | radmarya| September 12, 2020| Fortune
The eating disorder field remains divided over the potential efficacy of such measures.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models | Carrie Arnold| January 8, 2015| DAILY BEAST
Is there any chance the potential 2016 hopeful will stand up to the right and embrace paid sick leave?
Christie Blames Parents for Bad Economy | Monica Potts| January 3, 2015| DAILY BEAST
I ask Atefeh and Monir if they see dancing as a form of income in the future, a potential career.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread | IranWire| January 2, 2015| DAILY BEAST
The seedlings of his potential greatness as a leader are sprinkled throughout it.
Mario Cuomo: An OK Governor, but a Far Better Person | Michael Tomasky| January 2, 2015| DAILY BEAST
There was so much beauty, talent, potential , and most importantly, honesty in your work.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen | Parker Molloy| January 1, 2015| DAILY BEAST
This conception is akin to that of potential , except that it is given to us directly by our sense of heat.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 | Various
Page 20, potential printer's error, properly for property, 'but this properly they have'.
Discourse on Floating Bodies | Galileo Galilei
Seven potential events have been postulated for purposes of this review and are discussed in chapter II.
An Assessment of the Consequences and Preparations for a Catastrophic California Earthquake: Findings and Actions Taken | Various
Applied in any other way it becomes a mere formula, and like all formulas a potential source of mischievous confusion.
Theodore Roosevelt | Theodore Roosevelt
Whether these potential qualities ever become real depends upon environment.
The Eugenic Marriage, Volume I. (of IV.) | W. Grant Hague, M.D.
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British Dictionary definitions for potential adjective possible but not yet actual (prenominal) capable of being or becoming but not yet in existence; latent grammar (of a verb or form of a verb) expressing possibility, as English may and might
an archaic word for potent 1
noun latent but unrealized ability or capacity Jones has great potential as a sales manager
grammar a potential verb or verb form
short for electric potential
Derived forms of potential potentially , adverb Word Origin for potential C14: from Old French potencial, from Late Latin potentiālis, from Latin potentia power
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Words related to potential likely, hidden, possible, probable, capability, power, capacity, ability, potentiality, budding, future, wherewithal, aptitude, conceivable, dormant, embryonic, imaginable, implied, inherent, latent
Medical definitions for potential adj. Capable of being but not yet in existence; latent.
n. The inherent ability or capacity for growth, development, or coming into being.
The work required to bring a unit electric charge, magnetic pole, or mass from an infinitely distant position to a designated point in a static electric, magnetic, or gravitational field, respectively.
The potential energy of a unit charge at any point in an electric circuit measured with respect to a specified reference point in the circuit or to ground; voltage.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.