Definition of improbable
: unlikely to be true or to occur;
also
: unlikely but real or true
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Examples of improbable in a Sentence
The team made an improbable comeback.
it seems improbable that the two writers never met since they traveled in the same social circles
Recent Examples of improbable from the Web
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The state crown capped an improbable run after the team opened the tournament losing three straight bracket games before rebounding to top East Lake, 3-1, and Tampa Jesuit, 7-4, in the decisive contest.
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The Deer Park Wildcats had pulled off the improbable, winning 29 consecutive games and taking the Division III state title.
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Perhaps just as improbable as the No. 11 seed Ramblers' run to NCAA glory is the rapid rise in public awareness of Sister Jean, the team's 98-year-old chaplain.
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Louisville has had unique talents like Angel McCoughtry and Shoni Schimmel, gone on improbable runs against top seeds and suffered heartbreaking, lopsided defeats in the tournament.
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Earlier Saturday, Loyola-Chicago continued its improbable postseason run, beating Kansas State to advance to its first Final Four in 55 years.
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Top-ranked Warren Central finished the job in its own improbable, impossible style, rallying for a 54-48 win over Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference rival Carmel at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
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There was Lucian Wintrich, an improbable, dapper White House correspondent for conspiratorial pro-Trump outlet Gateway Pundit, recently criticized for inventing rumors about survivors of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting.
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Can Ester Ledecka pull off the improbable, if not impossible?
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'improbable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of improbable
Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin improbabilis, from in- + probabilis probable
improbable Synonyms
Synonyms
doubtful, dubious, far-fetched, flimsy, questionable, unapt, unlikely;
Near Antonyms
believable, conceivable, credible, earthly, imaginable, plausible;
Related Words
implausible, impossible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable, unthinkable;
absurd, bizarre, crazy, fantastic (also fantastical), foolish, insane, nonsensical, odd, outlandish, preposterous, ridiculous, unreal, wild;
IMPROBABLE Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of improbable for English Language Learners
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: not probable : not likely to be true or to happen
IMPROBABLE Defined for Kids
Definition of improbable for Students
: not likely : not probable
- improbable stories
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improbably
\-blē\ adverb- an improbably happy ending
Learn More about improbable
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for improbable Spanish Central: Translation of improbable Nglish: Translation of improbable for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of improbable for Arabic speakers
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