unlikely
Americanadjective
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not likely to be or occur; improbable; marked by doubt.
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holding little prospect of success; unpromising; likely to fail.
He is an unlikely candidate for reelection.
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not ingratiating; objectionable.
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unlikely
First recorded in 1325–75, unlikely is from the Middle English word unlikli. See un- 1, likely
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.
See Examples For:
Schulze called that a “tail risk,” or an unlikely outcome that could trigger an extreme market reaction.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026
Study co-author Dr. Aysha Al-Ani cautioned that the findings are unlikely to produce a new diagnostic test or therapy immediately.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
Thrifted clothes have become an unlikely fashion flex for Hollywood’s haute couture hoarders and other trend-setters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The loser in the contest is unlikely to make life particularly difficult for the winner.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
While small doses of radiation may do some damage, they are unlikely to affect enough atoms to cause real trouble.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Then the next game turned out to be even unlikelier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
Soon, Gef appeared in an even unlikelier place: the British courts.
From National Geographic ● Sep. 19, 2023
There will be more challenges to come, but they seem unlikelier than ever to prevail.
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2023
Some of the suggested new tributes reach into unlikelier cultural realms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2022
"Why, then, yer Reverence," replied Phaddhy, who was now a little softened, and forgot his enmity against Parrah More for the present, "unlikelier things might happen."
From The Station; The Party Fight And Funeral; The Lough Derg Pilgrim Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of William Carleton, Volume Three by William Carleton
Balancing sorrow with self-deprecation, Maron covers childhood abuse, his father’s dementia, evacuating his home with three cats during the L.A. fires and becoming the unlikeliest of Swifties.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
It is, according to bookmakers, the unlikeliest Super Bowl match-up of modern times.
From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026
The Estadio da Luz then erupted deep in injury time as Trubin turned the unlikeliest of heroes as he nodded in from a free-kick to send Benfica through.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
And as far as Super Bowl matchups go, this will go down as one of the unlikeliest in the modern history of the sport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
The man's tongue had run away with him, as the unlikeliest tongues will, under strong emotional strain: so we prattle of our newly dead, magnifying the good that we belittled in their lives.
From Denis Dent A Novel by Ernest W. Hornung
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.
