viable
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
describes a plan, idea, or method that can actually work in real life.
capable of working successfully; feasible or practicable in a given context.
Simple“The company decided the project was not financially viable because it would cost too much.”
In context“After reviewing the market data, the board concluded that the startup's business model was no longer viable in the current economic climate.”
SynonymsAntonymsimpossibleunworkable - 02 C1 Advanced
able to live, grow, and develop on its own.
capable of living and developing independently; often used regarding seeds, eggs, or foetuses.
Simple“The biologist checked if the seeds were still viable after being stored for ten years.”
In context“The laboratory confirmed that the tissue samples remained viable despite the failure of the primary refrigeration system during the storm.”
Usage viable alternative · viable option · viable solution
“How viable are plans to free up prison space in England and Wales?”
“But that is relatively simple compared with designing a new viable virus from scratch.”
Borrowed from French viable (further from Latin vīta), with semantic influence of Latin viābilis (“passable”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.