unlikely

adjective
UK: /ʌnˈlaɪkli/
US: /ʌnˈlaɪkli/

  1. Not likely to happen or be true; improbable.

    1. It is unlikely to rain today, the sky is clear. [ ] [ ]
    2. It's highly unlikely that they will agree with such a big change in plans. [ ] [ ]

  2. Not promising; giving little reason to expect success.

    1. He is an unlikely candidate for the team; he doesn't play well. [ ] [ ]
    2. The project seemed unlikely to succeed, given the limited resources available to us. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

improbable questionable doubtful
unlikely adverb

  1. In a way that is not likely or probable.

    1. She is unlikely to win; she's up against tough competition. [ ] [ ]
    2. The data suggests that such a scenario is unlikely to occur within the next decade. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "unlikely" in English means: Not likely to happen or be true; improbable., Not promising; giving little reason to expect success..

The phonetic transcription of "unlikely" is /ʌnˈlaɪkli/ in British English and /ʌnˈlaɪkli/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "unlikely": improbable, questionable, doubtful.

Example usage of "unlikely": "It is unlikely to rain today, the sky is clear.". More examples on the page.