かねない
Expresses the speaker's concern that something undesirable could happen, often as the result of a current situation or action: "could well ~", "there is a risk that ~".
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Used to warn about a possible negative consequence, typically of continuing a behavior or of a worsening situation, as in both examples. It appears in both speech and writing and carries a note of caution or criticism. Unlike かもしれない, it is limited to bad outcomes and implies a causal link to the current situation.
Do not use かねない for positive or neutral outcomes; it only describes undesirable results the speaker is worried about.
Do not attach かねない to the dictionary form; it follows the ます-stem (起きかねない, not 起きるかねない).
Learners often confuse かねない with かねる, which means "cannot / be unable to"; かねない means something could happen.
- 恐れがあるN2Both express the possibility of a bad outcome. 「恐れがある」 is objective and formal, common in news and official notices; it attaches to noun＋の or verbs in dictionary, た, or ない form. 「かねない」 attaches only to the ます-stem (ます minus ます) and carries the speaker's worry and a sense of warning.
- 可能性があるN1「可能性がある」 is objective and can be used for both good and bad outcomes; it attaches to verbs in dictionary, た, or ない form, adjectives, and noun＋の. 「かねない」 warns only about bad outcomes and attaches only to the ます-stem. For bad outcomes they are interchangeable, but 「可能性がある」 lacks the nuance of worry.
- かもしれないN4「かもしれない」 works for both good and bad outcomes and attaches to the plain form of various word classes; nouns and な-adjectives in the present affirmative do not take 「だ」. 「かねない」 is limited to bad outcomes with a warning tone and attaches only to the ます-stem. They can be swapped for bad outcomes, but the warning nuance becomes weaker.
- ないとも限らないN1「ないとも限らない」 only means 'it cannot be ruled out' and is not limited to bad things; how likely it is depends on context. It attaches to the negative forms of verbs, adjectives, and nouns, and leans formal. It can replace 「かねない」 for bad outcomes, but sounds more reserved.
- に違いないN3「に違いない」 expresses a confident guess and can be used for both good and bad outcomes; 「かねない」 only says a bad outcome might happen, with a tone of worry. The former attaches to the plain form and nouns, while the latter attaches only to the ます-stem, so they cannot be interchanged.
恐れがある also warns of bad outcomes but sounds more formal and news-like, while 可能性がある and かもしれない express possibility in general, including good outcomes, without implying a causal danger. ないとも限らない only means a possibility cannot be ruled out, and に違いない expresses strong certainty rather than risk.
