likelihood

American  

[lahyk-lee-hood] / ˈlaɪk liˌhʊd /

Or likeliness

noun

• likelihoods
  plural

1. the state of being likely or probable; probability.

2. a probability or chance of something.

   There is a strong likelihood of his being elected.

3. Archaic. indication of a favorable end; promise.

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likelihood British  

/ ˈlaɪklɪˌhʊd /

noun

1. the condition of being likely or probable; probability

2. something that is probable

3. statistics the probability of a given sample being randomly drawn regarded as a function of the parameters of the population. The likelihood ratio is the ratio of this to the maximized likelihood See also maximum likelihood

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superlikelihood
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• likelihoods
  plural

Etymology

Origin of likelihood

First recorded in 1350–1400, likelihood is from the Middle English word liklihood. See likely, -hood

Explanation

The likelihood of something means the odds that it will happen, or how likely a particular outcome is. Your likelihood of winning the lottery is pretty slim. If you figured out the likelihood of winning the lottery before you bought a scratch ticket, you might end up spending your money on something else. Likelihood indicates probability or chance. The likelihood that you'll convince your stubborn dog to get in your car completely depends on how many dog treats you've got in your pocket.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

likelihood likelihoods

District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong said in an order granting a preliminary injunction that the government “is regularly abstaining from conducting a likelihood of escape analysis at all” when making arrests without a warrant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Although the likelihood of a rate increase has certainly gone up in recent weeks, Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, said the September decision could still go either way.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Markets currently price an 86.8% likelihood of a quarter-point hike, according to LSEG.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Maxime Toubart, co-chair of the Comite Champagne, told the AFP news agency that the likelihood of hotter weather in the future means "this unusual harvest will probably become the norm in 10 to 15 years".

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

The arrival of founder domesticates enabled local people to become sedentary, and thereby increased the likelihood of local crops’ evolving from wild plants that were gathered, brought home and planted accidentally, and later planted intentionally.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

We do not ascribe likelihoods to either scenario.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Humanoids tasked with performing multiple jobs use artificial intelligence and are “probabilistic,” meaning they operate on statistical likelihoods, not certainty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

The danger arises when people believe that the model is retrieving truth rather than generating likelihoods.

From Salon ● May 12, 2026

Defense departments around the world are preparing for higher likelihoods of conflict.

From Barron's ● Feb. 28, 2026

In contemplating the likelihoods and possibilities of our circumstances, I probably suffered more than most of my fellow servants.

From My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass

Related Words

• possibility
• probability
• prospect
• tendency
• trend