What does conceivability mean?
Conceivability is the quality of being able to be imagined, thought of, or grasped by the mind. When we say something has conceivability, we mean that a person can form a coherent mental picture of it, even if it may never actually happen. The word belongs chiefly to formal and academic registers, appearing most often in philosophy, where it plays a surprisingly powerful role. Philosophers distinguish between what is conceivable and what is possible, since human beings can imagine contradictions and impossibilities as easily as genuine options. Descartes famously argued that because he could conceive of his mind existing apart from his body, the two must be separate substances — an inference later thinkers have challenged precisely by questioning how reliable conceivability is as a guide to reality. Related to the adjective "conceivable," the noun is useful whenever a writer wants to discuss the limits of imagination itself rather than the limits of the real world.
nounThe quality or state of being conceivable; the fact that something can be imagined, thought of, or grasped by the mind. In philosophy, it also refers more narrowly to whether a thing can be coherently conceived without contradiction.
- The general quality of being able to be imagined or thought of.
- In philosophy, especially metaphysics and philosophy of mind, the capacity of a proposition or scenario to be coherently conceived, often treated as evidence of its possibility.
"Philosophers have long debated the conceivability of a world without physical matter."
"The sheer conceivability of such a machine seemed like science fiction only a decade ago."
"Critics of the conceivability argument contend that what we can imagine does not always match what is genuinely possible."
Rarely used in the plural; the word is almost always treated as uncountable, referring to the abstract quality of being conceivable.
"The essay surveyed the various conceivabilities raised by the thought experiment."
Descartes built one of philosophy's most famous arguments on this single word: if he could clearly conceive of his mind existing without his body, he concluded they must be distinct things.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of conceivability
Conceivability derives from the verb "conceive," which entered English from Old French "conceivre," itself from Latin "concipere," meaning "to take in, receive, or grasp" — literally "to take wholly" (com- + capere). The Latin root also gives English words such as "concept," "conception," and "capable." The noun form arose in English through the standard suffix -ability added to "conceivable," with philosophical usage becoming prominent in early modern thought, particularly in debates following Descartes in the seventeenth century.
Related word forms
How conceivability is actually used
"Conceivability" is a formal, largely academic word, appearing most often in philosophy, logic, and scholarly prose rather than everyday conversation. It carries a neutral connotation but often signals careful abstract reasoning. It is typically used with the preposition "of" (the conceivability of X) and frequently appears in discussions of thought experiments.
Easily confused with conceivability
Probability concerns how likely something is to occur, whereas conceivability concerns only whether it can be imagined or thought of at all.
Possibility is about actual or real-world likelihood of being the case, while conceivability is merely about being able to be imagined in the mind.