as in doubtful
not likely to be true or to occur
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Recent Examples of unlikely
Diamantis’ second trial is unlikely to take much time to complete.
—
Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
The scheduling of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid (first leg this past Wednesday, second leg on Tuesday) is unlikely to help them.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Now parents to three children (Michael, 28, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 23), the pair admitted their relationship once seemed unlikely, even to them.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
The funniest part of all of this, though, is that Kiffin may have gotten this whole Vanity Fair idea from a rather unlikely source.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unlikely
Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
The scheduling of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid (first leg this past Wednesday, second leg on Tuesday) is unlikely to help them.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Now parents to three children (Michael, 28, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 23), the pair admitted their relationship once seemed unlikely, even to them.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
The funniest part of all of this, though, is that Kiffin may have gotten this whole Vanity Fair idea from a rather unlikely source.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for unlikely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlikely
Adjective
-
The Sixers initially listed him as doubtful, then upgraded him to questionable less than 90 minutes before game time.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
-
One explanation is simply that investors are doubtful of new highs in stocks and hedging against risks like the Iran war and crude oil.—
Oliver Renick,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But the Marlins have made dubious decisions in selecting free agent inning-eaters in recent years, with Johnny Cueto, Cal Quantrill and now Paddack all performing below expectation.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 May 2026
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What seems to have gone unnoticed is that his ballroom will only hold 999 people, but the WHCD had 2,600 people in attendance (dubious math, at best).—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
That’s an old, contentious and questionable standard for a discrimination complaint.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
-
But Tatum was downgraded to questionable Saturday afternoon, then ruled out less than two hours before tipoff.—
Zack Cox,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
But on this day, improbably, Mexican forces held the line, under maybe the most improbable commander.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 May 2026
-
What once felt inevitable now feels improbable.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unlikely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlikely. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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