Viable: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes

Meaning 1：workable and likely to succeed (viable)

viable 🔊

/ˈvaɪ.ə.bəl/

adj.

Able to be done or to succeed; it won't fail.

Viable concept illustrated by a team planning a successful project on a whiteboard in a modern office.

workable and likely to succeed 🔊

➕

/ˈwɜː.kə.bəl ənd ˈlaɪ.kli tuː səkˈsiːd/

adj.

Describes a plan, idea, or project that is practical and has a good chance of success under real-world conditions.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'vita' (life) + '-able' (able to), literally 'able to live'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a 'VIA' (road/way) that is 'ABLE' to be taken. A viable plan is a way forward that is able to work.

📖 Example

After analyzing the market data, the team concluded that launching a solar-powered phone charger was a viable business idea. 🔊 Following their review of the market data, the team determined that introducing a solar-powered phone charger was a workable and promising business concept.

🔗 Collocations

viable option – a realistic and practical choice among possibilities

economically viable – financially sustainable or profitable

viable alternative – a workable and acceptable substitute

🔄 Synonyms

feasible (adj.) – Possible and practical to do easily or conveniently.

practicable (adj.) – Able to be done or put into practice successfully.

workable (adj.) – Capable of being carried out effectively or functioning properly.

🚫 Antonyms

unviable (adj.) – Not capable of working successfully; not feasible.

impracticable (adj.) – Impossible to do in practice.

infeasible (adj.) – Not possible to do easily or conveniently.

🌱 Derivatives

viability (n.) – The state of being capable of working successfully.

viably (adv.) – In a way that is capable of working or succeeding.

📖 Cultural Story

Rooted in the Latin 'vita' for 'life', 'viable' originally described an embryo capable of surviving outside the womb. By the mid-19th century, its use expanded to business and plans, describing ideas with enough 'life' to succeed in the real world.