potentially

adverb

po·​ten·​tial·​ly pə-ˈten(t)-sh(ə-)lē 

: in a potential or possible state or condition

—used to describe the possible results or effects of something

a potentially dangerous situation [=a situation that has the potential to be or become dangerous]

a potentially useful feature

By creating a personal home page, anyone can publish material that potentially can be read by millions of people worldwide.

—Peter H. Lewis

The phenomenon seemed significant for both the science of immunology and, potentially, for medicine.

—Daniel J. Kevles

Potentially adding to the cost of the bail-out is the prevailing FDIC notion that some banks are simply too big to fail.

—L. J. Davis

The result, they say, is that children are less compelled to play outside, potentially stunting emotional and physical development and exacerbating a nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity.

—Sumathi Reddy

Examples of potentially in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Election Day has arrived and thousands of people across the commonwealth will head to the polls Tuesday to vote in a potentially historic 2024 U.S. general election. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2024

Sign up Why is online sports betting potentially risky? —Becca Stanek, theweek, 6 Nov. 2024

Some health experts said elevating Kennedy, even in an informal Trump administration position, could potentially lead to severe consequences for patients, drugmakers and the nation’s public health overall. —Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

If China does not push for this, the risk that Russian nuclear sites become entangled in its war on Ukraine will only continue to grow, with potentially catastrophic consequences both for Russia and for the rest of the world. —William M. Moon, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above