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Synonyms

peradventure

American  
[pur-uhd-ven-cher, per-] / ˌpɜr ədˈvɛn tʃər, ˌpɛr- /

noun

Rare.
  1. chance, doubt, or uncertainty.

  2. surmise.


adverb

  1. Archaic. it may be; maybe; possibly; perhaps.

peradventure British  
/ ˌpɜːr-, pərədˈvɛntʃə /

adverb

  1. by chance; perhaps

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. chance, uncertainty, or doubt

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of peradventure

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English per aventure, from Old French; per, adventure

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For example it's much more useful to know the word "house" than the word "abode," and you'll get fewer odd looks if you say "perhaps" rather than "peradventure".

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2018

And because it would not be illegal for that pooch to kill, peradventure, a fox, it follows that if the hounds veer onto a real scent and make a kill, no law has been broken.

From Economist • Mar. 5, 2015

In doing so we must demonstrate beyond peradventure of doubt that we are what we maintain.

From Time Magazine Archive

Put Federal credit beyond peradventure of a doubt.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Sirs, while I would liefer commend the nobility of restraint, here must I endorse rather the vigor of lively opposition, lest, peradventure, we find that inaction is in itself the occasion of profligacy.”

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson