Möglich

Möglich is a German adjective meaning feasible or capable of occurring; something that can happen or be done. In English, it corresponds to "possible." It can be used predicatively, as in Es ist möglich, or attributively, as in eine mögliche Lösung. Like other -lich adjectives, möglich inflects according to article and gender: der mögliche Weg, das mögliche Problem, ein möglicher Hinweis, mehrere mögliche Optionen.

In addition to the adjective, several related forms are common. The adverb forms include möglicherweise meaning “perhaps, possibly” and möglichst meaning “as possible” or “preferably,” as in Wir sollten möglichst früh beginnen. The noun form is Möglichkeit, meaning "possibility" or "opportunity." The opposite is unmöglich (impossible).

Usage notes and examples help distinguish nuances. Es ist möglich bedeutet that something can occur in principle; Es ist nicht möglich denies feasibility. When introducing a subordinate clause, one often hears Es ist möglich, dass… (It is possible that…). A possible explanation is Eine mögliche Erklärung. In everyday language, möglich is also used in contexts that express probability or feasibility rather than certainty.

Etymology and relatives: möglich derives from older Germanic forms such as Old High German muglih/muglich, reflecting the sense of being able or feasible. It has cognates in Dutch mogelijk. The related noun Möglichkeit is formed with the suffix -keit, turning an adjective into a noun concept of possibility.

See also: unmöglich, wahrscheinlich, potenziell, Möglichkeit, möglicherweise.