unlikely
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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:
Either way, current and former U.S. officials say that an abrupt end to U.S. military aid to Israel is unlikely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Standing before L.A. mayoral candidate Nithya Raman was the coalition that made her unlikely rise happen, paralleling the one that made the Democratic Party’s takeover of the House and Senate possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
But that email, even if genuine, is unlikely to provide the leads that police and airport authorities need to pin down who is generating these hoaxes and why.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
But Turkey's nuclear expansion, with two more plants in the pipeline, was unlikely to add enough baseload capacity to replace coal-fired electricity generation before around 2040, Danis said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
“What say you, my wolfish wards? Will Mrs. Penworthy do, or not? If she’s perfect, we’re unlikely to find better, what?”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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
Yet, oddly enough, I found a far unlikelier substance, and that was camphor.
From The Time Machine by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
El-Sayed thanked the crowd in the early hours of Wednesday morning for taking a chance on "the unlikeliest of candidates", saying his win was theirs.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Perhaps the unlikeliest member of the group is activist Matt Staniek.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 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
He’s also the unlikeliest curler at the Milan Cortina Games, where he could become the oldest American athlete in Winter Olympics history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
And our little old million-dollar-a-rod hill is the unlikeliest place to look for a mine I ever did see.
From Copper Streak Trail by Eugene Manlove Rhodes
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
