improbable

[im-prob-uh-buhl]

adjective

1. not probable; unlikely to be true or to happen.

   Rain is improbable tonight.

   Synonyms: implausible, doubtful, questionable

improbable

/ ɪmˈprɒbəbəl /

adjective

1. not likely or probable; doubtful; unlikely

Other Word Forms

• improbably adverb
• improbableness noun
• superimprobable adjective
• superimprobableness noun
• superimprobably adverb
• improbability noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of improbable¹

From the Latin word improbābilis, dating back to 1590–1600. See im- ², probable

Example Sentences

Which seems improbable to me, at least in the short term.

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When the researchers compared all mathematically possible combinations of Theia and early Earth compositions, they found that some outcomes were highly improbable.

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Mamdani has seized on that to power an improbable rise, profiting from an affiliation with socialist politics that might otherwise have held him back.

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Haiti, meanwhile, who last appeared in the World Cup in 1974, also completed an improbable qualification campaign with a 2-0 win over Nicaragua.

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“All right, let me think! All the pirates are thrown overboard. Who’s left? Maybe—I know it’s improbable, but it just might work! Maybe the cabin boy can take over the ship and the plot. . . .”

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Related Words

• fanciful 
• implausible 
• rare 
• unbelievable 
• unlikely