unlikely

adjective

un·​like·​ly ˌən-ˈlī-klē 

1

: not likely : improbable

an unlikely outcome

2

: likely to fail : unpromising

an unlikely place to see much wildlife

Synonyms of unlikely

• doubtful
• dubious
• questionable
• improbable

Examples of unlikely in a Sentence

He was an unlikely candidate for the position.

A big city seems like an unlikely place to find wildlife.

I received support from an unlikely ally.

Recent Examples on the Web

Elements of the Bores plan seem wishful (like a call for the sorts of job-retraining programs that were promised to mitigate offshoring and seem unlikely to mitigate sweeping automation) or unrigorous (like a technical solution to deepfakes that experts say has been, thus far, a failure). —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 7 May 2026

The quintessentially cool designer, synonymous with a palette of khaki, black, and gray (occasionally punctuated by a flash of bold red) seems an unlikely candidate for pastel play. —Christina Holevas, Vogue, 7 May 2026

America’s appetite for weight-loss drugs is transforming a small Danish city into an unlikely hub of economic growth. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 7 May 2026

Since fusion technology is unlikely to be ready to power data centers anytime soon, Zap Energy is adding fission to its lineup as a strategy to get to the market faster. —Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unlikely

• likely

Kids Definition

unlikely

adjective

un·​like·​ly ˌən-ˈlī-klē 

ˈən-

1

: not likely : improbable

an unlikely story

2

: likely to fail : unpromising

an unlikely place for fishing

unlikeliness noun