ENGLISH
REFERENCE

viable

adj.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈvaɪəbəɫ// UK //vˈaɪəbəl// vi·able

adj. capable of working successfully or staying alive. You use this to describe a plan that can actually happen or a living thing that can survive on its own.

adj. capable of working successfully; feasible. In a biological context, refers to an organism or cell capable of surviving or developing normally.


SIMPLE

The committee is looking for a viable solution to the budget problem.

CONTEXTUAL

After reviewing the financial data, the bank decided that the small business was no longer a viable investment.

COMPLEX

The success of the conservation project depends on maintaining a viable population of the species within its natural habitat to prevent genetic drift.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from French viable (further from Latin vīta), with semantic influence of Latin viābilis (“passable”).

Usage

Commonly used in business and political contexts to describe plans, and in biology to describe seeds, eggs, or populations.

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