Effective
Effective adjective - Existing in fact and not merely as a possibility.
Usage example: made the mistake of confusing the plant's production capacity with its effective output
Potential
Potential adjective - Existing in possibility.
Usage example: a potential problem
Both words in one sentence
- In the first season, one of the potential treatments for cyberbrain sclerosis is based on nanomachines (although it isn't very effective).
Source: Nanomachines / Anime and Manga - As a wizard with a potential lifespan of centuries, he has a very slow but effective Healing Factor on his side.
Source: Hollywood Healing - Also, in World of Tanks a "derp gun" is one that has amazing damage potential but which is only effective at short range.
Source: Fan Nickname / World Of Warships
Cite this Source
Potential and Effective. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/effective/potential
Effective & Potential. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/effective/potential>.
Potential or Effective. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/effective/potential.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "effective" and "potential" have occurred on timeline