viable

viable — adjective

1. describing a plan, project, or business that is practical and realistic enough t

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a plan, project, or business that is practical and realistic enough to achieve its goals and keep succeeding over time.

Example

The board decided the new recycling plant was not economically viable and cancelled the project.

collocation: economically viable

Iris considered several business options before picking the most viable one.

Common collocations
  • economically viable
  • financially viable
  • commercially viable
  • politically viable
  • technically viable
  • viable option
  • viable alternative
  • viable candidate
Synonyms
  • feasible

    narrower focus on technical possibility; a plan can be feasible (doable) without being viable (able to last)

  • workable

    more informal; suggests a solution that is good enough to function, often with a pragmatic tone

  • practical

    broader; emphasizes real-world suitability rather than the capacity to keep succeeding

Antonyms
  • unworkable

    the opposite of a workable or practical plan

  • unrealistic

    suggests a plan that has no chance in practice, without the economic or sustainability nuance

Grammar Patterns

[be] + viable

viable + noun

viable + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Often paired with adverbs such as economically, commercially, financially, or politically to specify the area in which something is able to succeed.

Common Mistakes

This is a possible plan' (when you mean it can work).
This is a viable plan.
'possible' only means the plan can exist; 'viable' means it has a realistic chance of succeeding.
We need a practical solution' (when emphasizing long-term success).
We need a viable solution.
'practical' focuses on being sensible and realistic in everyday terms, whereas 'viable' also implies the solution can survive and last.

2. describing a living thing such as a cell, seed, embryo, or organism that is able

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a living thing such as a cell, seed, embryo, or organism that is able to stay alive and develop in the normal way.

Example

The doctor told Emma that the pregnancy was viable and the baby was growing well.

viable pregnancy — medical collocation

Farmers tested whether the seeds were still viable after two years in storage.

Common collocations
  • viable pregnancy
  • viable embryo
  • viable cells
  • viable seeds
  • viable tissue
  • viable fetus
  • still viable
  • barely viable
  • no longer viable
Synonyms
  • alive

    broader; 'alive' simply means not dead, while 'viable' adds the sense of being able to grow and develop

  • fertile

    different meaning; 'fertile' describes the ability to reproduce, not the ability to survive and grow

  • healthy

    overlaps but is less precise; 'healthy' describes good condition overall, not specifically the capacity to develop independently

Antonyms
  • nonviable

    the standard opposite in medical and biology contexts

  • dead

    less precise; 'dead' means no life at all, whereas 'nonviable' may describe something that is alive but unable to develop

Grammar Patterns

[be] + viable

viable + noun

Usage Note

Common in medical and biology writing. Not usually used in the comparative form (more viable / most viable) in formal scientific literature, though the comparative does appear in informal or popular writing.

Common Mistakes

The seeds are livable
The seeds are viable.
'livable' describes a place where people can live comfortably, not a biological item's ability to survive.
The cells are still alive' (when you mean they can grow).
The cells are still viable.
'alive' simply means not dead; 'viable' implies the capacity to grow and develop further.

Word family

  • viability
    nounB2
  • viably
    adverbC1
  • nonviable
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe plans or ideas that could succeed, but they differ in emphasis. Feasible focuses on technical possibility — whether something can be done with available resources. Workable suggests a solution that functions well enough, often with a pragmatic, 'good enough' tone. Practical stresses common sense and real-world suitability rather than theoretical promise. Viable goes a step further, implying not just that something can start, but that it can last. A bridge design may be technically feasible (the engineering works) but not commercially viable (too costly to maintain). A business idea can be practical (it makes sense day-to-day) without being viable (it never turns a profit). Choose viable when the key question is long-term survival, not just immediate doability.

feasible ↗workable ↗practical ↗realistic ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • viable option
  • viable alternative
  • viable solution
  • viable candidate
  • viable plan
  • still viable
  • no longer viable

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from French 'viable' meaning 'likely to live', which goes back to Latin 'vita' meaning 'life'. First used in English in the 1800s for medicine and biology, describing a baby or animal able to survive outside the womb. By the early 1900s the word spread to business and everyday use, where a 'viable' plan is one that can 'live' or last.