"possibly" meaning in All languages combined

See possibly on Wiktionary

Adverb [English]

IPA: /ˈpɒsɪbli/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈpɑsəbli/ [General-American] Audio: en-us-possibly.ogg [US] Forms: more possibly [comparative], most possibly [superlative]
Etymology: 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 entries with language name categories using raw markup, English hedges, English positive polarity items, English terms suffixed with -ly Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 50 50 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 53 47 Disambiguation of English hedges: 53 47 Disambiguation of English positive polarity items: 56 44 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ly: 56 44
  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 entries with language name categories using raw markup, English hedges Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 50 50 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 53 47 Disambiguation of English hedges: 53 47 Disambiguation of 'adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed': 31 69
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

Download JSON data for possibly meaning in All languages combined (7.6kB)

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "impossibly"
    },
    {
      "word": "inevitably"
    },
    {
      "word": "certainly"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "possible",
        "3": "ly"
      },
      "expansion": "possible + -ly",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "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": "56 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ly",
          "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": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English hedges",
          "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": "31 69",
          "code": "ba",
          "lang": "Bashkir",
          "roman": "bəlki",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "бәлки"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "ba",
          "lang": "Bashkir",
          "roman": "ixtimal",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "ихтимал"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "vǎzmožno",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "възможно"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "possiblement"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "muligvis"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "tags": [
            "negative",
            "participle",
            "past"
          ],
          "word": "umuligt"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "mogelijk"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "mahdollisesti"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "tags": [
            "with-negation"
          ],
          "word": "mitenkään"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "possiblement"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "vielleicht"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "eventuell"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "möglicherweise"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "tags": [
            "negative",
            "participle",
            "past"
          ],
          "word": "unmöglich"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "mungkin saja"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "fortasse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "fortassis"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "adverb indicating that an action may successfully be performed",
          "word": "possivelmente"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "31 69",
          "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",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "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 3-syllable words",
    "English adverbs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English hedges",
    "English lemmas",
    "English modal adverbs",
    "English positive polarity items",
    "English terms suffixed with -ly",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "Requests for review of Dutch translations",
    "Requests for review of French translations",
    "Requests for review of Spanish translations",
    "Requests for review of Swedish translations"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "possible",
        "3": "ly"
      },
      "expansion": "possible + -ly",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "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"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). 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.