unlikely

adjective

un·​like·​ly ˌən-ˈlī-klē How to pronounce unlikely (audio)
1
: not likely : improbable
an unlikely outcome
2
: likely to fail : unpromising

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 And of all the unlikely collisions of culture and politics, perhaps none was more mind-bending than Kahlo’s love affair with Trotsky. Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 During the interview, Dr. Dre shared his enthusiasm for getting the star, his unlikely fans (which have apparently included a group of nuns), and the collaborative process of making music. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 Three wins in as many days gave the team an unlikely tournament title and its coach an unexpected reprieve. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Among the teams from multi-bid conferences, Utah State might be the most unlikely tournament participant: First-year coach Danny Sprinkle took the job last spring with no returning points or rebounds and built his 27-game winner from scratch (through the transfer portal). Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 Taurus Combative Aries and calm, cooperative Taurus can make an unlikely dynamic duo. Katie Mannion, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 But that’s unlikely to soothe disgruntled video game voice actors who are concerned about how AI adoption will impact their careers and livelihoods. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 19 Mar. 2024 Take, for instance, the unlikely opponents who sent letters to the feds about their concerns—much of which was coached and coordinated behind the scenes. Philip Elliott, TIME, 18 Mar. 2024 The Beastie Boys were an unlikely choice for the opening slot, resulting in a lot of booing crowds and overwhelmingly negative press. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unlikely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unlikely was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near unlikely

Cite this Entry

“Unlikely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unlikely. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unlikely

adjective
un·​like·​ly ˌən-ˈlī-klē How to pronounce unlikely (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not likely : improbable
an unlikely story
2
: likely to fail : unpromising
an unlikely place for fishing
unlikeliness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on unlikely

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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