Words / B2

k-uh-n-SEEV-uh-bl/kənˈsiːvəbl/

Conceivable means possible to imagine or believe: every conceivable option; barely conceivable. Possible is everyday; conceive is the verb (already in the dictionary). Every conceivable bias still needs a named example. Mix-up: convenient (already in the dictionary); receivable. Do not write conceivable for something already measured as fact.

Meaning

Possible to imagine or believe.

Examples

• “Every conceivable bias still needs a named example, the methods tutor said.”
• “It is conceivable that the sample was biased, which is the “possible to imagine” sense — still test it.”

Good to know

conceivable that; every conceivable + noun; conceivably. Verb: conceive. Trap: convenient. Essays and methods. Possible to imagine, not “already proven”.

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