unlikely
Americanadjective
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not likely to be or occur; improbable; marked by doubt.
-
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.
Memory chips have recently emerged as some of the world’s most profitable products, with investors piling into the tech sector as chip demand is unlikely to cool anytime soon.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
SpaceX has such a lead on the launch competition that even that setback is unlikely to be damaging to its position.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
This trend is unlikely to change soon, even with the mega IPOs of SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic looming large.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
He has pace to burn and at times looked threatening when used further forward but lacked an end product and is unlikely to be viewed as a possible successor to the departing Mohamed Salah.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
While small doses of radiation may do some damage, they are unlikely to affect enough atoms to cause real trouble.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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.
