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.
See Examples For:
Some of the group’s key recommendations are unlikely to take place before November.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The emergence of such a force, cut off so far from any allies or routes to safety, was thus “an unlikely, unprecedented, and unrepeated development in human history.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
It’s unlikely she’d talk about the cabinet appointment Ronald Reagan dangled in front of her as she worked tirelessly to get him elected, the cabinet appointment she never got.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Although the IPO should support CXMT's long-term capacity investments, "it is unlikely to ease the current shortage immediately," as such expansion typically takes around a year or longer, Wang added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Yet some of Fabyan’s unlikely stories turned out to be true.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Then the next game turned out to be even unlikelier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
Soon, Gef appeared in an even unlikelier place: the British courts.
From National Geographic ● Sep. 19, 2023
Some of the suggested new tributes reach into unlikelier cultural realms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2022
Pricier and bulkier than a Nike Fuelband or Fitbit and cluttered with more features, the Sport is unlikely to win over the quantified-exercise crowd, and the fancier models unlikelier still.
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2015
"Why, then, yer Reverence," replied Phaddhy, who was now a little softened, and forgot his enmity against Parrah More for the present, "unlikelier things might happen."
From The Station; The Party Fight And Funeral; The Lough Derg Pilgrim Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of William Carleton, Volume Three by Carleton, William
Then foreigners tasted it, lost their minds and turned a condiment into the World Cup’s unlikeliest phenomenon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Balancing sorrow with self-deprecation, Maron covers childhood abuse, his father’s dementia, evacuating his home with three cats during the L.A. fires and becoming the unlikeliest of Swifties.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
It is, according to bookmakers, the unlikeliest Super Bowl match-up of modern times.
From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026
The Estadio da Luz then erupted deep in injury time as Trubin turned the unlikeliest of heroes as he nodded in from a free-kick to send Benfica through.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
In the unlikeliest wilderness inspired youth is never without the mysteriously-brought food and the company of angels.
From The Romance of Zion Chapel [3d ed.] by Le Gallienne, Richard
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.
