improbable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of improbable
From the Latin word improbābilis, dating back to 1590–1600. See im- 2, probable
Explanation
Your parents might tell you it's improbable that they'll buy you a car when you turn 16. Since improbable means something is unlikely but not impossible, your optimism allows you to keep hoping. The adjective improbable also means statistically unlikely to happen. You might be afraid to fly, but the odds of a plane crash are so low that such an event is improbable. Improbable also means something that is so outrageous that you'd never admit you believed in it. You know the existence of the Loch Ness Monster is improbable, but that doesn't stop you from looking for it when you travel to Scotland.
Vocabulary lists containing improbable
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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"A Quilt of a Country," Vocabulary from the argument
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"A Quilt of a Country" by Anna Quindlen
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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.
Instead, Bridget Devaney turned to the internet with a proposal that sounded equal parts hopeful and improbable - come to Northern Ireland and celebrate the wedding that never happened.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
The improbable evening turned into a moving tribute to both Capra himself and his tale of the suicidal banker George Bailey, who comes to realize that his life has indeed been wonderful.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Surrounded by the windswept desert and towering mountains, locals are keenly aware of how improbable it was that a bustling town and verdant fields arose in this unforgiving terrain—and how swiftly it all might disappear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Her improbable rise to become Florida’s Democratic nominee for U.S.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
In the New Orleans show, I felt all the amusement of the improbable abnormal, but also a kind of horror that it could be so.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
