definitions

likelihood

or like·li·ness

[ lahyk-lee-hoo d ]
/ ˈlaɪk liˌhʊd /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR likelihood ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the state of being likely or probable; probability.
a probability or chance of something: There is a strong likelihood of his being elected.
Archaic. indication of a favorable end; promise.

RELATED CONTENT

What Is The Difference Between “Might” And “May”?May expresses likelihood while might expresses a stronger sense of doubt or a contrary-to-fact hypothetical. The difference in degree between “You may be right” and “You might be right” is slight but not insignificant: if I say you may be right about something, there is a higher degree of probability that you are right about it than if I say you might be right about something. Example: You think Einstein is the most brilliant physicist who …
READ MORE
Negative Or Positive Reinforcement: Which Is Better?Whether positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement is better all depends on the situation and the personality of the receiving person.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

prospect, trend, tendency, possibility, probability, presumption, direction, plausibility, liability, reasonableness, likeliness, fifty-fifty

Nearby words

like something the cat dragged in, like that, like to, like water off a duck's back, like-minded, likelihood, likely, likely as not, liken, likeness, likes of, the

Origin of likelihood

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

Related forms

su·per·like·li·hood, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for likelihood

British Dictionary definitions for likelihood

likelihood

likeliness (ˈlaɪklɪˌnɪs)

/ (ˈlaɪklɪˌhʊd) /

noun

the condition of being likely or probable; probability
something that is probable
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 likelihoodSee also maximum likelihood
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012