possibility has definitions from the field of psychology
1
[ noun ] a future prospect or potential

Examples

"this room has great possibilities"

Used in print

(St. Louis Post-Dispatch,...)

Mantle , it 's apparent , resented Casey_Stengel 's attempts to push and prod him into the perfection the veteran manager saw as a thrilling possibility .

(The Christian Science Monitor,...)

No reference is made to the possibility of recording other_than popular_music in this manner , and it would not seem to lend itself well to serious_music .

(Frank Getlein and Harold C. Gardiner, S.J., Movies,...)

In about seven years Griffith either invented or first realized the possibilities of virtually every resource at the disposal of the film_maker .

(Frank Oppenheimer, "Science and Fear-- A Discussion...)

There is still the remote possibility of planetoid collision .

(Joyce O. Hertzler, American Social Institutions;...)

There is also the possibility , among higher religions , of experiencing consistent meaning in life and enjoying guidance and expansiveness .

Related terms

expectation

2
[ noun ] capability of existing or happening or being true

Synonyms

possibleness

Examples

"there is a possibility that his sense of smell has been impaired"

Used in print

(Frank Oppenheimer, "Science and Fear-- A Discussion...)

Political theoretical understanding , although almost at a standstill during this century , did develop during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries , and resulted in a flood of inventions which increased the possibility for man to coexist with man .

(LeRoy Fothergill, "Biological Warfare", in Peter...)

The major defensive problems are concerned with the possibility of overt military delivery of biological agents from appropriate disseminating devices .

(R. P. Jerrard, "Inscribed squares in plane curves"...)

There are three possibilities : ( a ) **f remains tangent to C as it is translated ; ( b ) **f moves away from C and does not intersect it at_all for **f ; ( c ) **f cuts_across C and there are two ordinary intersections for every t in **f .

The first possibility results in a closed_interval of tangent points in the f-plane , the end_points of which fall_into category ( b ) or ( c ) .

(Douglas Ashford, "Elections in Morocco: Progress...)

The day following his intervention the palace issued a statement reassuring the citizens that `` the possibility of introducing appeals concerning the establishment of electoral lists , lists of candidates and finally the holding of the consultation itself '' would be supported by the King himself .

3
[ noun ] a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena

Synonyms

theory hypothesis

Examples

"a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"

Used in print

(The Times-Picayune, [New Orleans]...)

There are many possibilities , including poor circulation , a variety of neurological conditions , and functional disorders .

(Schubert Ogden, Christ Without Myth....)

It follows , then , provided the possibilities have been exhausted , that the only real alternative is the general viewpoint of the `` left '' , which has been represented on the Continent by Fritz_Buri and , to some extent at_least , is found in much that is significant in American and English theology .

To do this , it is sufficient to point_out that if the principle in_terms_of which alternatives are to be conceived is such_as to exclude more_than two , then the question of a `` third '' possibility is a meaningless question .

Hence , if what is in_question is whether in a given theology myth is or is not completely rejected , it is unimportant whether only a_little bit of myth or a considerable quantity is accepted ; for , in either event , the first possibility is excluded .

(James A. Ibers et al., "Proton magnetic resonance...)

There is , then , the possibility that this **f bond is symmetric , although Douglass was unable to determine its symmetry from his x-ray data .

4
[ noun ] (psychology) a possible alternative

Examples

"bankruptcy is always a possibility"

Used in print

(Cornell H. Mayer, "Radio Emission of the Moon...)

This result suggests a very high_temperature at the solid surface of the planet , although there is the possibility that the observed radiation may be a combination of both thermal and non thermal components and that the observed spectrum is that of a black_body merely by coincidence .

(Raymond C. Binder et al., editors, Proceedings...)

The following possibilities exist for achieving this : 1 .

(Francis J. Johnston and John E. Willard, "The...)

Because of the simplicity of the molecules , isotopic exchange reactions between elemental halogens and the corresponding carbon_tetrahalides would appear to offer particularly fruitful possibilities for obtaining unambiguous basic kinetic data .

Related terms

option possible

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