英和和英

発音

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/, [ˈpɒs.ə.bɫ̩]
• (Northern England) IPA: /ˈpɒs.ɪ.bl̩/, [ˈpɒs.ɪ.bɫ̩]
• (General American, dialects of Canada) IPA: /ˈpɑ.sə.bəl/, [ˈpɑ.sə.bɫ̩]
• (Canada, dialects of the 米国発音) IPA: /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/, [ˈpɒs.ə.bɫ̩]
• (General Australian) IPA: /ˈpɔs.ə.bəl/, [ˈpɔs.ə.bɫ̩]
• (New Zealand) IPA: /ˈpɒs.ə.bəl/, [ˈpɔ̟s.ə.bɫ̩]
• (Indic) IPA: /ˈpɔs.ɪ.b(ɪ)l/
• ハイフネーション: pos‧si‧ble

形容詞

possible (comparative more possible, superlative most possible)

1. (usually not comparable) Able but not certain to happen; neither inevitable nor impossible.

   Synonyms: futurable; see also Thesaurus:possible

   Antonyms: certain, inevitable, impossible

   Rain tomorrow is possible, but I wouldn't bet on it.

   It's not just possible, it's probable that there will be rain tomorrow.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; […] . Now she had come to look upon the matter in its true proportions, and her anticipation of a possible chance of teaching him a lesson was a pleasure to behold.

2. (comparable) Capable of being done or achieved; feasible.

   Synonyms: achievable, doable, viable

   Antonym: impossible

   It's possible for anyone to learn to play the bagpipes.

   • 1901, Louis Freeland Smith, The Public, volume 4, page 438:

     And success in minor degree, in the sense in which he uses the term "success," is only somewhat more possible than success in winning the White House chair.

   • 1993 September 10, Lee Michael Katz, “Expectant Mideast hopes to bear twin peace deals”, in USA Today‎, archived from the original on 30 June 2013, page 2A:

     Peace between Israel and the Arab countries is "more possible than any time before," says ex-Arab League U.N. ambassador Clovis Maskoud.

   • 2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, pages 72–3:

     Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism.

3. Being considered, e.g. for a position.

   Jones and Smith are both possible for the opening in sales.

4. Apparently valid, likely, plausible.

   Synonyms: likely, plausible

   Antonym: implausible

派生語

関連する語

名詞

possible (plural possibles)

1. (colloquial, rare) A possible choice, notably someone being considered for a position.

   Synonym: candidate

   Jones is a possible for the new opening in sales.

2. (colloquial, rare) That which is possible for somebody.
   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     […] “don’t you be in any great hurry after that treasure.”
     “Why, sir, I do my possible, which that ain’t,” said Silver. “I can only, asking your pardon, save my life and the boy’s by seeking for that treasure; and you may lay to that.”

3. (rare) A particular event that may happen.

同意語

• possibility
• option

反意語

• impossible
• no-go

Further reading

• “possible”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “possible”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

アナグラム

• bespoils