What does unlikely mean?

Definitions for unlikely
ʌnˈlaɪk liun·like·ly

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word unlikely.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. improbable, unlikelyadjective

    not likely to be true or to occur or to have occurred

    "legislation on the question is highly unlikely"; "an improbable event"

  2. unlikelyadjective

    has little chance of being the case or coming about

    "an unlikely story"; "an unlikely candidate for reelection"; "a butcher is unlikely to preach vegetarianism"

  3. improbable, unbelievable, unconvincing, unlikelyadjective

    having a probability too low to inspire belief

Wiktionary

  1. unlikelynoun

    Something or somebody considered unlikely.

  2. unlikelyadverb

    In an improbable manner.

  3. unlikelyadjective

    Not likely; improbable; not to be reasonably expected; as, an unlikely event; the thing you mention is very unlikely. Not holding out a prospect of success; likely to fail; unpromising; as, unlikely means.

    It's very unlikely that you'll be able to walk perfectly after being in a cast for six months.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Unlikelyadjective

    Suspicion Mopsa; for a very unlikely envy she hath stumbled upon. Philip Sidney.

    My advice and actions both have met
    Success in things unlikely. John Denham, Sophy.

    This collection we thought not only unlikely to reach the future, but unworthy of the present age. Jonathan Swift.

    Effects are miraculous and strange, when they grow by unlikely means. Richard Hooker.

  2. Unlikelyadverb

    Improbably.

    The pleasures we are to enjoy in that conversation, not unlikely may proceed from the discoveries each shall communicate to another, of God and nature. Alexander Pope.

Wikipedia

  1. Unlikely

    Unlikely is the second album by Brazilian stoner rock band Far from Alaska, released on 4 August 2017. It was recorded in the United States, produced by Sylvia Massy and financed via a crowdfunding campaign. It is their last album with bassist Edu Filgueira, who left the band in January 2018.The band sees the album as a more unpretentious and free work than its predecessor, modeHuman, and believes it to be more representative of what they really are. They wanted to create songs that were easier to sing along in shows and that could be easily played with an acoustic guitar in a circle of friends, for example. In studio, the members, encouraged by Masy, experimented with a couple of different things, like playing synths with the cables going through electricity-conducting food. Like modeHuman, Unlikely was well received by the critics.

ChatGPT

  1. unlikely

    Unlikely refers to something that is not expected to happen, not probable, or has a relatively low possibility of occurrence. It refers to an event or condition deemed to have a small chance of existing or coming true.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Unlikelyadjective

    not likely; improbable; not to be reasonably expected; as, an unlikely event; the thing you mention is very unlikely

  2. Unlikelyadjective

    not holding out a prospect of success; likely to fail; unpromising; as, unlikely means

  3. Unlikelyadjective

    not such as to inspire liking; unattractive; disagreeable

  4. Unlikelyadverb

    in an unlikely manner

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'unlikely' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1812

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'unlikely' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3176

  3. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'unlikely' in Adjectives Frequency: #237

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce unlikely?

How to say unlikely in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of unlikely in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of unlikely in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of unlikely in a Sentence

  1. Liu Ruiqiang:

    It's very unlikely we'll see the pollution issue being solved in the next 10 years, it's not realistic.

  2. Energy Aspects:

    China's storage needs are ultimately finite, and unlikely to last in the same scale much beyond 2016.

  3. Patrick Osgood:

    On balance, there’s unlikely to be major security disruption during the tournament.

  4. John Bradberry:

    Overall, cruise ships offer an extremely safe and enjoyable environment, as always, use common sense. In the unlikely event you or a loved one experience a medical emergency, have the peace of mind of knowing that cruise ship medicine has come a long way, and that excellent medical care is typically available today on cruise ships.

  5. Brock Silvers:

    Beijing will have no say in the US decision to mandate the sale of TikTok, but it will retain the ultimate approval authority over such a sale, it also seems extremely unlikely that Beijing will accept any deal that removes TikTok’s algorithm[s] from its direct control and regulatory authority.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

unlikely#1#7056#10000

Translations for unlikely

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"unlikely." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 18 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/unlikely>.

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