potential has definitions from the fields of physics,electricity
1
[ noun ] the inherent capacity for coming into being

Used in print

(Walter H. Buchsbaum, "Advances in Medical Electronics"...)

When we consider the electronic industry potential for human betterment , the prospect is staggering .

(Sports Age, 24:9...)

Considering that the current school age potential is 23 million youths , the project and its message on hunting and shooting education have many_more to reach .

(A.L. Kroeber, "Semantic Contribution of Lexicostatistic...)

The remote , cloudy , possible has values of its own - values of scope , stimulus , potential , and imagination .

Related terms

possibility prospect latency

2
[ adjective ] existing in possibility

Synonyms

possible

Examples

"a potential problem" "possible uses of nuclear poser"

Used in print

(Harold Rosenberg, "The Trial and Eichmann"...)

Not in Eichmann 's anti-Semitism but in the anti-Semitism of the sober German man_of_affairs lay the potential warning of the Trial .

(James Bryant Conant, Slums and Suburbs...)

Indeed , in some periods of our history and in some neighborhoods the job opportunities have been so good that undoubtedly a great many boys who were potential members of the professions quit school at an early age and went to work .

(John F. Hayward, "Mimesis and Symbol in the Arts"...)

In this respect experience is broader and full of a richer variety of potential meanings than the mind of man or any of his arts or culture are capable of making clear and distinct .

(R. F. Shaw, "The `Private Eye`"...)

Just as Holmes the eccentric stands behind Holmes the detective , so Holmes the potential criminal lurks behind both .

(Allan J. Braff and Roger F. Miller, "Wage-Price...)

The entry limiting price will also be raised for potential domestic competition , but unless general inflation permits profit_margins to increase proportionately throughout the economy , we might expect the public limit price to approach the entry limit price .

Related terms

actual latent

3
[ adjective ] expected to become or be; in prospect

Synonyms

likely expected

Examples

"potential clients" "expected income"

Used in print

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

He revealed the potential value of the `` cut '' as the basic technique in the art of the film .

(Jay C. Harris and John R. Van Wazer, "Detergent...)

Large_numbers of potential builders have been investigated , but none have been found to be as effective as the polyphosphates over the relatively wide range of conditions met in_practice .

Related terms

prospective

4
[ noun ] (physics,electricity) the difference in electrical charge between two points in a circuit expressed in volts
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