unlikely
Americanadjective
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not likely to be or occur; improbable; marked by doubt.
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holding little prospect of success; unpromising; likely to fail.
He is an unlikely candidate for reelection.
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not ingratiating; objectionable.
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unlikely
First recorded in 1325–75, unlikely is from the Middle English word unlikli. See un- 1, likely
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.
Pompliano, to his credit, pointed out in his post that it’s unlikely that Plum’s total income is only $999,999, given the availability of endorsement income and other ancillary deals.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Still, diplomats said, it was unlikely to act militarily against Iran without American support—at least not in the immediate future.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
Live Nation is believed to control at least 80% of the ticketing market for major concert venues, but analysts have said a forced breakup of the company is unlikely.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
It’s unlikely Meta stock will suffer a similar fate as the company continues to expand its safety features.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
She wasn’t detained, because the facial recognition software only scored her as a 31 percent match: possible but unlikely.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
