un·like·ly

[uhn-lahyk-lee] adjective, un·like·li·er, un·like·li·est, adverb
adjective
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.
adverb
4.
in an unlikely way.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English unlikli. See un-1, likely

un·like·li·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To unlikely
00:10
Unlikely is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Collins
World English Dictionary
unlikely (ʌnˈlaɪklɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
not likely; improbable
 
un'likeliness
 
n
 
un'likelihood
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

unlikely

see in the unlikely event.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Some photographic moments are memorable because they are so unlikely.
At the time, astronomers thought that events beyond a redshift of two or three
  were unlikely.
But it does mean that the global economy is robust enough so that these funds
  are unlikely to shake it.
Cirrhosis of the liver is unlikely to catch up with them for decades, and heart
  disease must seem as remote as retirement.
Idioms & Phrases
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT