Do you know the definition of viable? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word viable, including its definition, usage, word origin, and more!
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According to the American Heritage unabridged dictionary of the English language as well as other English dictionaries like Collins English Dictionary, the word viable is an adjective that means feasible, having normal conditions, or capable of becoming actual as in something that is practical or capable of normal growth and development. The word viable can also be used to refer to a viable fetus, which is a fetus that has reached a stage of development such that it can live independently of its mother’s uterus. The suffixes ty and bly can be added to the end of the word viable to form the related noun and adverb viability (n.) and viably (adv.). Viable is three syllables – vi-a-ble, and the pronunciation of viable is ˈvaɪəbəl. Many things can be viable, including a viable population, viable solution, a viable system, a viable career path, a viable bidding strategy, a viable proposition, viable ideas, a viable economy, a number of viable cells, a viable infant and more.
There are many different languages that contain words meaning viable. You may notice that some of these words look or sound similar to the word viable. These are called cognates. Cognates are words that look and sound similar between languages and retain the same meaning. These are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations for the word viable is provided by Word Sense.
Spanish: viable
Catalan: viable
Dutch: levensvatbaar
French: viable
Danish: levedygtig
Portuguese: viável
Italian: vivibile
Hungarian: életképes
Russian: жизнеспособный
Estonian: eluvõimeline, elujõuline
Czech: životaschopný (masc.)
German: selbständig
Esperanto: vivipova
Swedish: genomförbar
Finnish: elinkelpoinen
Russian: жизнеспособный
What is the origin of the word viable?
According to Etymonline, the word viable has been used since c19. This word comes from the old French viable, meaning capable of life, from the Latin vie life and Latin vīta/vita life, from the Proto-Indo-European roots gwei meaning to live, which also spurred the Medieval Latin vitabilis.
How can the word viable be used in a sentence?
The word viable can be used in many different ways in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definition. You can also try making a quiz or flashcards for yourself to study and test your knowledge on different definitions. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today. Below are many examples of viable to get you started!
In that period of history, it was rare for a fetus to have a viable development of organs. It was only with the advent of medical technology that we got the chance of an increased population.
Sharma’s career in the agency world was not viable because he was not willing to be treated like a punching bag to “earn his place.” With a long-range view this may be considered fooling, but he did not want to perpetuate the cycle of violence. He decides to join the government folks in the Parks and Recreation department.
Her lack of sleep and constant studying was not a viable option if she was going to keep being a student at Princeton University. She was trying to grow her intellect, but that was impossible on 3 hours of sleep a night.
What are synonyms and antonyms of the word viable?
There are many different words and phrases that one can use in place of the word viable. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another given word or phrase. Synonyms are a great tool to use to avoid repeating oneself, as well as to quickly expand one’s vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word viable is provided by Power Thesaurus.
able to hold water
operational
achievable
effective
valid
manageable
sustainability
within reach
stable
useful
active
within the realms of possibility
workable
cost-effective
arguable
credible
sound
well-founded
doable
operative
accessible
believable
able to be done
sensible
accomplishable
profitable
executable
fructifying
applicable
practicability
likely
economic
practicable
animate
reachable
economical
sustainable
in a job
reasonable
feasibility
obtainable
achievability
performable
commercial
feasible
realistic
open
probable
living
bread-and-butter
possible
realizable
plausible
alive and kicking
appropriate
zoetic
conscious
alive
defensible
live
functioning
supportable
intact
growing
justifiable
tenable
impregnable
suitable
usable
rational
acceptable
practical
in gear
secure
attainable
real
actual
functional
in service
viably
expedient
imaginable
serviceable
well grounded
operable
vital
in working order
steady
impracticable
crescive
conceivable
working
renewable
maintainable
strong
breathing
existent
realisable
defendable
enforceable
There are also numerous different words that mean the opposite of the word viable. These opposite words are called antonyms. Antonyms are another great tool to learn to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of opposite words for the word viable is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
mad
unworkable
inaccurate
abnormal
abysmal
barking mad
dreadful
inconceivable
demented
crazed
angry
illogical
deranged
loony
maniacal
foolish
ridiculous
lost
away with the fairies
insane
beyond a shadow of a doubt
at rest
hopeless
maniac
lift doesn’t go all the way to the top
idiotic
kicking dicks
impossible
dead
impracticable
absurd
as mad as a march hare
brainsick
unreasonable
mental
hardly likely
irrational
unachievable
lunatic
infeasible
impractical
absolutely impossible
non-realistic
haggard
non-working
unsustainable
nonrealistic
unfeasible
crazy
mad as a hatter
Overall, the word viable means having normal development or normal conditions under which something can achieve further development, such as such form of the development or organs or a fetus. This term can be used literally or figuratively.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.