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.
Give them a big enough token budget and they’ll try everything under the sun, no matter how arduous and improbable.
From Slate • Jun. 22, 2026
But Trump, a former property tycoon and reality television star before his improbable political rise, has always been a different kind of president.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
Only by defying conventional wisdom and experimenting with seemingly improbable strategies did the model find an unexpected path forward.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
It could be contrived and improbable and old-fashioned in its triumphs snatched from the jaws of defeat, and I completely loved it.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
As Sherlock Holmes famously said, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
