Well-read · Often misused · Work & business
Viable: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Viable adjective. Able to work as intended or to survive and grow.
How to say it
VY-uh-bul/ˈvʌɪəb(ə)l/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (VY).
Viable in a sentence
Without new funding, the theatre is no longer viable.
Only a few of the seeds were still viable after twenty years in the drawer.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- workable
- feasible
- practicable
- sustainable
Opposite:
- unworkable
- impractical
Careful
Viable means able to survive or work in practice. As a vague stand-in for good or possible ('a viable option' for any option at all) it's overused, and many readers find it jargon.
Where viable comes from
From French vie, life, so first meaning able to live, of a newborn or a seed.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Only a few of the seeds were still _____ after twenty years in the drawer.
- compendious
- viable
- meretricious
Show the answer
viable: Only a few of the seeds were still viable after twenty years in the drawer.