"possibly" meaning in All languages combined

See possibly on Wiktionary

Adverb [English]

IPA: /ˈpɒsɪbli/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈpɑsəbli/ [General-American] Audio: en-us-possibly.ogg Forms: more possibly [comparative], most possibly [superlative]
Etymology: From possible + -ly. Etymology templates: {{suffix|en|possible|ly}} possible + -ly Head templates: {{en-adv}} possibly (comparative more possibly, superlative most possibly)
  1. (modifying a clause or predicate) Perhaps; indicates that the proposition may be true (is not certainly false) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker.
    Sense id: en-possibly-en-adv-T4WMWE0Z Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English hedges, English positive polarity items, English terms suffixed with -ly, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bashkir translations, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with Danish translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Indonesian translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Latin translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 50 50 Disambiguation of English hedges: 54 46 Disambiguation of English positive polarity items: 56 44 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ly: 57 43 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 57 43 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 55 45 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 56 44 Disambiguation of Terms with Bashkir translations: 63 37 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 63 37 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 63 37 Disambiguation of Terms with Danish translations: 67 33 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 63 37 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 63 37 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 63 37 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 64 36 Disambiguation of Terms with Indonesian translations: 63 37 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 64 36 Disambiguation of Terms with Latin translations: 64 36 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 62 38 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 63 37 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 63 37
  2. (modifying a verb) In the realm of possibility; indicates that the action may successfully be performed (is not impossible) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker that might limit the performance. Translations (adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed): бәлки (bəlki) (Bashkir), ихтимал (ixtimal) (Bashkir), възможно (vǎzmožno) (Bulgarian), possiblement (Catalan), muligvis (Danish), umuligt [negative, participle, past] (Danish), mogelijk (Dutch), mahdollisesti (Finnish), mitenkään [with-negation] (Finnish), possiblement (French), vielleicht (German), eventuell (German), möglicherweise (German), unmöglich [negative, participle, past] (German), mungkin saja (Indonesian), fortasse (Latin), fortassis (Latin), possivelmente (Portuguese), posiblemente (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-possibly-en-adv-opxyt4po Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English hedges, Pages with 1 entry Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 50 50 Disambiguation of English hedges: 54 46 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 55 45 Disambiguation of 'adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed': 32 68
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: conceivably, maybe, perhaps, potentially Related terms: by chance, mayhap, peradventure, perchance, incidentally, contingently

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "impossibly"
    },
    {
      "word": "inevitably"
    },
    {
      "word": "certainly"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "possible",
        "3": "ly"
      },
      "expansion": "possible + -ly",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From possible + -ly.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more possibly",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most possibly",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "possibly (comparative more possibly, superlative most possibly)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "by chance"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "mayhap"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "peradventure"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "perchance"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "incidentally"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "contingently"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English hedges",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "56 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English positive polarity items",
          "parents": [
            "Positive polarity items",
            "Terms by semantic function"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "57 43",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ly",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "57 43",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "55 45",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "56 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bashkir translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Catalan translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "67 33",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Danish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "64 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Indonesian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "64 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "64 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Latin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "62 38",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Possibly, they will make gains in the midterm elections.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "It was possibly the costliest mistake in the organization's history.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "This rare and possibly unique specimen must be conserved.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Perhaps; indicates that the proposition may be true (is not certainly false) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker."
      ],
      "id": "en-possibly-en-adv-T4WMWE0Z",
      "links": [
        [
          "Perhaps",
          "perhaps"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(modifying a clause or predicate) Perhaps; indicates that the proposition may be true (is not certainly false) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "modifying a clause or predicate"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English hedges",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "55 45",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I'm much stronger than you, so you can't possibly win.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "I couldn't possibly be there on time.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "I couldn't possibly cheat on my wife.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "It seems unlikely, but, yes, they could possibly win even now.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "The police don't know him, and the information they have leads them to think he could possibly have murdered his wife.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In the realm of possibility; indicates that the action may successfully be performed (is not impossible) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker that might limit the performance."
      ],
      "id": "en-possibly-en-adv-opxyt4po",
      "links": [
        [
          "possibility",
          "possibility"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(modifying a verb) In the realm of possibility; indicates that the action may successfully be performed (is not impossible) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker that might limit the performance."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "modifying a verb"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "ba",
          "lang": "Bashkir",
          "roman": "bəlki",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "бәлки"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "ba",
          "lang": "Bashkir",
          "roman": "ixtimal",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "ихтимал"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "vǎzmožno",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "възможно"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "possiblement"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "muligvis"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "tags": [
            "negative",
            "participle",
            "past"
          ],
          "word": "umuligt"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "mogelijk"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "mahdollisesti"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "tags": [
            "with-negation"
          ],
          "word": "mitenkään"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "possiblement"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "vielleicht"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "eventuell"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "möglicherweise"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "tags": [
            "negative",
            "participle",
            "past"
          ],
          "word": "unmöglich"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "mungkin saja"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "fortasse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "fortassis"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "possivelmente"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "32 68",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "posiblemente"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɒsɪbli/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɑsəbli/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-possibly.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b3/En-us-possibly.ogg/En-us-possibly.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/En-us-possibly.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "conceivably"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "maybe"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "perhaps"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "potentially"
    }
  ],
  "word": "possibly"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "impossibly"
    },
    {
      "word": "inevitably"
    },
    {
      "word": "certainly"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English adverbs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English hedges",
    "English lemmas",
    "English modal adverbs",
    "English positive polarity items",
    "English terms suffixed with -ly",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Requests for review of Dutch translations",
    "Requests for review of French translations",
    "Requests for review of Spanish translations",
    "Requests for review of Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Bashkir translations",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with Danish translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Indonesian translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Latin translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "possible",
        "3": "ly"
      },
      "expansion": "possible + -ly",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From possible + -ly.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more possibly",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most possibly",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "possibly (comparative more possibly, superlative most possibly)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "by chance"
    },
    {
      "word": "mayhap"
    },
    {
      "word": "peradventure"
    },
    {
      "word": "perchance"
    },
    {
      "word": "incidentally"
    },
    {
      "word": "contingently"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Possibly, they will make gains in the midterm elections.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "It was possibly the costliest mistake in the organization's history.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "This rare and possibly unique specimen must be conserved.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Perhaps; indicates that the proposition may be true (is not certainly false) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Perhaps",
          "perhaps"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(modifying a clause or predicate) Perhaps; indicates that the proposition may be true (is not certainly false) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "modifying a clause or predicate"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I'm much stronger than you, so you can't possibly win.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "I couldn't possibly be there on time.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "I couldn't possibly cheat on my wife.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "It seems unlikely, but, yes, they could possibly win even now.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "The police don't know him, and the information they have leads them to think he could possibly have murdered his wife.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In the realm of possibility; indicates that the action may successfully be performed (is not impossible) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker that might limit the performance."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "possibility",
          "possibility"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(modifying a verb) In the realm of possibility; indicates that the action may successfully be performed (is not impossible) regardless of any facts or circumstances known to, stated by or implied by the speaker that might limit the performance."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "modifying a verb"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɒsɪbli/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɑsəbli/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-possibly.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b3/En-us-possibly.ogg/En-us-possibly.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/En-us-possibly.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "conceivably"
    },
    {
      "word": "maybe"
    },
    {
      "word": "perhaps"
    },
    {
      "word": "potentially"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ba",
      "lang": "Bashkir",
      "roman": "bəlki",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "бәлки"
    },
    {
      "code": "ba",
      "lang": "Bashkir",
      "roman": "ixtimal",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "ихтимал"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "vǎzmožno",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "възможно"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "possiblement"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "muligvis"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "tags": [
        "negative",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ],
      "word": "umuligt"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "mogelijk"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "mahdollisesti"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "tags": [
        "with-negation"
      ],
      "word": "mitenkään"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "possiblement"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "vielleicht"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "eventuell"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "möglicherweise"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "tags": [
        "negative",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ],
      "word": "unmöglich"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "mungkin saja"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "fortasse"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "fortassis"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "possivelmente"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
      "word": "posiblemente"
    }
  ],
  "word": "possibly"
}

Download raw JSONL data for possibly meaning in All languages combined (6.7kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.