probability

prob·a·bil·i·ty

noun \ˌprä-bə-ˈbi-lə-tē\

: the chance that something will happen

: something that has a chance of happening

: a measure of how often a particular event will happen if something (such as tossing a coin) is done repeatedly

plural prob·a·bil·i·ties

Full Definition of PROBABILITY

1

:  the quality or state of being probable

2

:  something (as an event or circumstance) that is probable

3

a (1) :  the ratio of the number of outcomes in an exhaustive set of equally likely outcomes that produce a given event to the total number of possible outcomes (2) :  the chance that a given event will occur

b :  a branch of mathematics concerned with the study of probabilities

4

:  a logical relation between statements such that evidence confirming one confirms the other to some degree

One goose, two geese. One moose,
two... moose. What's up with that? »

Examples of PROBABILITY

1. There is a low probability that you will be chosen.
2. There is some probability of rain tomorrow.
3. With the dark clouds moving in, rain seems more like a probability than a possibility.
4. The probability of a coin coming up heads is one out of every two tries.

First Known Use of PROBABILITY

15th century

Related to PROBABILITY

Synonyms

liability, likelihood

Antonyms

improbability, unlikelihood, unlikeliness

Related Words

credibility, plausibility, plausibleness; feasibility, feasibleness, possibility, potentiality, reasonability, reasonableness, viability

Near Antonyms

doubtfulness, dubiousness; impracticability, impracticality; implausibility, incredibility, incredibleness

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

Rhymes with PROBABILITY

actability, affability, arability, audibility, bankability, bearability, biddability, breathability, brushability, capability, changeability, clubbability, coilability, contractility, countability, credibility, crossability, culpability, curability, cutability, disability, disutility, drapability, drillability, drinkability, drivability, durability, dyeability, edibility, equability, erectility, fallibility, feasibility, fishability, flammability, flexibility, forgeability, formability, frangibility, friability, fungibility, fusibility, gullibility, hatchability, ignobility, imbecility, immobility, inability, incivility, indocility, infantility, infertility, instability, inutility, juvenility, leachability, legibility, liability, likability, livability, lovability, mailability, meltability, miscibility, movability, mutability, notability, packability, placability, plausibility, playability, pliability, portability, possibility, potability, pregnability, prehensility, printability, puerility, readability, rentability, risibility, roadability, salability, sensibility, sewability, shareability, sociability, solubility, solvability, spreadability, squeezability, stainability, stretchability, suitability, tenability, testability, traceability, trainability, treatability, tunability, usability, vendibility, versatility, viability, visibility, volatility, washability, wearability, wettability, workability