unlikely

unlikely
I
(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)
adj. improbable, doubtful, dubious; farfetched, inconceivable; impracticable, implausible; unpromising, inauspicious. See improbability.
II
(Roget's IV) modif.
1. [Not likely to happen]
Syn. improbable, unheard-of, incredible, implausible, not to be thought of, unbelievable, absurd, palpably false, unconvincing, not likely, scarcely possible, apparently false, contrary to expectation, inconceivable, doubtful, dubious, questionable, untoward, extraordinary, marvelous, out of the ordinary, strange.
2. [Not likely to succeed]
Syn. unpromising, unpropitious, questionable, dubious.
Ant. likely*, probable, credible.
III
(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.
improbable, implausible, hardly possible, doubtful, inconceivable, dubious, questionable, *as likely as snow in July, remote, *as likely as the sky falling, *as likely as pigs learning to fly, having an outside chance, *alongshot
ANT.: likely, probable, certain
IV
(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective Not likely: doubtful, improbable, questionable, unapt. See LIKELY.

English dictionary for students. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Unlikely — Un*like ly, a. 1. Not likely; improbable; not to be reasonably expected; as, an unlikely event; the thing you mention is very unlikely. [1913 Webster] 2. Not holding out a prospect of success; likely to fail; unpromising; as, unlikely means.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Unlikely — Un*like ly, adv. In an unlikely manner. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • unlikely — [unlīk′lē] adj. [ME unlikly, prob. based on ON ūlīkligr] 1. not likely to happen or be true; improbable 2. not likely to succeed; not promising adv. improbably [he may, not unlikely, join us] unlikelihood n. unlikeliness …   English World dictionary

  • unlikely — index disputable, doubtful, dubious, implausible, impossible, incredible, infeasible, unbelievable, unfit …   Law dictionary

  • unlikely — late 14c., not likely to occur, from UN (Cf. un ) (1) + LIKELY (Cf. likely). Cf. O.N. ulikligr, M.Da. uligelig. Meaning not likely to be true is recorded from 1590s …   Etymology dictionary

  • unlikely — [adj] not probable absurd, contrary, doubtful, dubious, faint, implausible, improbable, inconceivable, incredible, not likely, out of the ordinary, outside chance, questionable, rare, remote, slight, strange, unbelievable, unconvincing, unheard… …   New thesaurus

  • unlikely — ► ADJECTIVE (unlikelier, unlikeliest) ▪ not likely; improbable. DERIVATIVES unlikelihood noun …   English terms dictionary

  • unlikely */*/*/ — UK [ʌnˈlaɪklɪ] / US adjective Word forms unlikely : adjective unlikely comparative unlikelier superlative unlikeliest 1) a) not likely to happen I think her coming back is a pretty unlikely prospect. unlikely to do something: He s unlikely ever… …   English dictionary

  • unlikely — un|like|ly [ ʌn laıkli ] adjective *** 1. ) not likely to happen: I think her coming back is a pretty unlikely prospect. unlikely to do something: He s unlikely ever to find a job again. unlikely (that): It seems unlikely that she will make the… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • unlikely — un|like|ly W2S2 [ʌnˈlaıkli] adj 1.) not likely to happen ▪ Donna might be able to come tomorrow, but it s very unlikely . unlikely to do sth ▪ The weather is unlikely to improve over the next few days. it is unlikely (that) ▪ It s unlikely that… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • unlikely — adj. 1) (cannot stand alone) unlikely to + inf. (they are unlikely to accept our invitation) 2) unlikely that + clause (it s unlikely that she will attend) * * * [ʌn laɪklɪ] unlikely that + clause (it s unlikely that she will attend) (cannot… …   Combinatory dictionary

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