viable

[vahy-uh-buh l] /ˈvaɪ ə bəl/
adjective
1.
capable of living.
2.
Physiology.
  1. physically fitted to live.
  2. (of a fetus) having reached such a stage of development as to be capable of living, under normal conditions, outside the uterus.
3.
Botany. able to live and grow.
4.
vivid; real; stimulating, as to the intellect, imagination, or senses:
a period of history that few teachers can make viable for students.
5.
practicable; workable:
a viable alternative.
6.
having the ability to grow, expand, develop, etc.:
a new and viable country.
Origin
1820-30; < French, equivalent to vie life (< Latin vīta) + -able -able
Related forms
viability, noun
viably, adverb
unviable, adjective
Can be confused
feasible, viable.
Synonyms
5. practical, feasible, usable, adaptable.
Examples from the web for viable
  • We need to cut spending to make our fiscal future more reasonable, more viable.
  • So planting trees or tall shrubs to give them the desired screening wasn't a viable option.
  • The wild out there some where has become less and less viable.
  • He sees nuclear power as political power, and discounts it as a viable military weapon.
  • He is also the one coherent, galvanizing, and viable figure among them.
  • There's no viable positive stance to take on her live work.
  • Even controversial nuclear energy is considered a viable option.
  • Another consideration is creating a vertical farm design that would be economically viable.
  • Solar shingles are an increasingly viable alternative.
  • After an hour, the neurosurgery team finished up, not entirely sure whether they had obtained a viable sample.
British Dictionary definitions for viable

viable

/ˈvaɪəbəl/
adjective
1.
capable of becoming actual, useful, etc; practicable: a viable proposition
2.
(of seeds, eggs, etc) capable of normal growth and development
3.
(of a fetus) having reached a stage of development at which further development can occur independently of the mother
Derived Forms
viability, noun
Word Origin
C19: from French, from vie life, from Latin vīta
Word Origin and History for viable
adj.

1828, from French viable "capable of life" (1530s), from vie "life" (from Latin vita "life;" see vital) + -able. Originally of newborn infants; generalized sense is first recorded 1848. Related: Viably; viability.

viable in Medicine

viable vi·a·ble (vī'ə-bəl)
adj.

  1. Capable of living, developing, or germinating under favorable conditions.

  2. Capable of living outside the uterus. Used of a fetus or newborn.


vi'a·bil'i·ty n.