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⇱ unlikely - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

unlikely

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ʌnˈlaɪkli/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ʌnˈlaɪkli/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(un līk′lē)

Inflections of 'unlikely' (adj):
unlikelier
adj comparative
unlikeliest
adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
un•like•ly /ʌnˈlaɪkli/USA pronunciation   adj., -li•er, -li•est, adv. 
adj. 
    1. not likely to be or occur;
      improbable;
      doubtful:an unlikely outcome.[It + be + ~ + (that) clause]It is unlikely that she knows him.[be + ~ + to + verb]is unlikely to know him.
    2. having little chance of success;
      unpromising:[before a noun]an unlikely candidate for the job.

    adv. 
    1. in an unlikely way.
    un•like•li•hood, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
un•like•ly  (un līk′lē),USA pronunciation adj., -li•er, -li•est, adv. 
adj. 
    1. not likely to be or occur;
      improbable;
      marked by doubt.
    2. holding little prospect of success;
      unpromising;
      likely to fail:He is an unlikely candidate for reelection.
    3. not ingratiating;
      objectionable.

    adv. 
    1. in an unlikely way.
    • Middle English unlikli. See un-1, likely 1325–75
    un•like′li•ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
unlikely /ʌnˈlaɪklɪ/ adj
  1. not likely; improbable
unˈlikeliness, unˈlikelihood n
'unlikely' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: an unlikely [story, excuse, account, tale], an unlikely [event, result, outcome, decision, scenario, choice], an unlikely [forerunner, candidate, winner, ally], more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "unlikely" in the title:

...their future options, for now, it would be unlikely...
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it is highly <improbably> / <unlikely> that he will
more...

Look up "unlikely" at Merriam-Webster
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