potential

noun · adjective

Simple meaning

A currently unrealized ability.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

puhtehnshuhl

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

pəˈtɛnʃəl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

A currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to).
physics
The gravitational potential: the radial (irrotational, static) component of a gravitational field, also known as the Newtonian potential or the gravitoelectric field.

adjective

Existing in possibility, not in actuality.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency: Very Common
Typical Use: Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to).

Used this way, potential is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Matter-of-fact
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

prospective , more casual, better suited to speech than writing

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use potential

“Even from a young age it was clear that she had the potential to become a great musician.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Work / difference

potential energypotential difference

Verbal / referring

full potential

Inherent

potential source

Other combinations

action potentialmembrane potentialchemical potentialgreat potential

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

potentiallyadverbDerived adverb
With a possibility of becoming actual.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

potential energynounCompound term
The mechanical energy that a body has by virtue of its position.
potential differencenounCompound term
The difference in electrical charge between two points in a circuit expressed in volts.
potential unitnounCompound term
A measure of the potential energy of a unit charge at a given point in a circuit relative to a reference point (ground).
potential dropnounCompound term
The difference in electrical charge between two points in a circuit expressed in volts.
potential dividernounCompound term
Resistors connected in series across a voltage source.
electric potentialnounCompound term
The difference in electrical charge between two points in a circuit expressed in volts.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to)

potentialityprospectiveInformal

Antonyms

Sense: existing in possibility or not in actuality

actual

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.