conceivable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of conceivable
Explanation
If you see yellowish skies on a humid, spring evening in Kansas, it is entirely conceivable that a tornado is in the making. That is to say, it's imaginable or even possible, so make sure you take every conceivable precaution. If you conceive of something, you imagine or think of it. So, it makes sense that the adjective conceivable describes things that can be imagined or thought of. People often use the word conceivable in extreme contexts. If you look everywhere for your homework but still can't find it, you might declare, "I searched in every conceivable location! My homework must have disappeared." In response, your teacher might remark that disappearing homework is inconceivable, or "impossible to imagine."
Vocabulary lists containing conceivable
Ungifted
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 6
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Hard Times
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pistorius told reporters on Tuesday that the eight-company project "is conceivable and one possibility".
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
Of course, in the atomic age, wars between imperial great powers, as in World War I and World War II, are no longer truly conceivable.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
Another buddy, Ewen Bremner’s hapless Spud, ruins a nice family’s breakfast in the most spectacular conceivable way.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
It is conceivable that all three men could reach a deal which involved economic concessions by China to the U.S.;
From MarketWatch • May 31, 2026
In front of the fireplace was a fifteen-foot-long library table stacked with new editions of books on every conceivable topic.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
