unlikely
Americanadjective
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not likely to be or occur; improbable; marked by doubt.
-
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:
Refn, 55, got on a video call this week while in L.A. to talk about the unlikely impact of “Drive” and some of its more unexpected influences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Only a small handful of little-known candidates, who were unlikely to get much support, were allowed to stand.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Two-time major champion Martin Kaymer has said it is "highly unlikely" LIV Golf's team championship will take place this year and admitted the players do not know if the circuit will exist in 2027.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The next cut to drug prices is unlikely to come from cracking the economics of copying complex molecules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
It seems unlikely that I will ever have the ability of human speech.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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
Some of the suggested new tributes reach into unlikelier cultural realms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2022
To imagine an even unlikelier hypothetical, let’s take Beijing at its word and imagine it would allow Facebook a fair playing field.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 31, 2018
Put it at a hundred only, and daylight would be the unlikelier to bring disappointment.
From Nicky-Nan, Reservist by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir
And on a team full of dual nationals who grew up overseas, he might have the unlikeliest background of anyone on the roster.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
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
They looked over the ground—the unlikeliest place for gold in all their experience—and they went down the river again, “leaving it to the Swedes.”
From Revolution, and Other Essays by London, Jack
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.
