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
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
Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, cautioned that appreciating renminbi, or yuan, to reduce trade surplus was unlikely to be sustainable without meaningful steps to end deflation in the economy.
—
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2025
Fernández Espeso’s next appointment is unknown, but is unlikely to take her far from international content creation.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 15 Dec. 2025
The 20-minute short, which opened the omnibus, captures with touching specificity a moment when Panahi’s mother comes to visit him and his wife during the pandemic, and then ends up forging an unlikely bond with the director’s pet iguana.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 15 Dec. 2025
On Brevard’s barrier islands, major landowners — including Disney — recognized that large-scale infrastructure expansion was unlikely and sold their plots to the state.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unlikely
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Anniek Bao, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2025
Fernández Espeso’s next appointment is unknown, but is unlikely to take her far from international content creation.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 15 Dec. 2025
The 20-minute short, which opened the omnibus, captures with touching specificity a moment when Panahi’s mother comes to visit him and his wife during the pandemic, and then ends up forging an unlikely bond with the director’s pet iguana.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 15 Dec. 2025
On Brevard’s barrier islands, major landowners — including Disney — recognized that large-scale infrastructure expansion was unlikely and sold their plots to the state.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unlikely
Cite this Entry
“Unlikely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unlikely. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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