as in incredibly
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Recent Examples of improbably
Its first three seasons followed the ups and downs of young, improbably good-looking bankers in a London built almost entirely of glass, brick, and blow, their worst impulses spurred on by a corporate culture of excess.
—
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Despite heavy opposition by cast and crew, he was improbably cast as Ava Gardner’s bullfighter lover in The Sun Also Rises.
—Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 9 Feb. 2026
Vonn had improbably vowed to compete at the Games despite suffering an otherwise season-ending injury to her left knee just over a week ago at a World Cup race in Switzerland.
—Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Violette briefly resurfaced in 2018 with a small solo show at Gladstone’s Upper East Side town house—an improbably tasteful site for an erstwhile rebel.
—Rachel Wetzler, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
In the season premiere, corporate negotiator Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) appears to have somewhat improbably landed himself in a second hostage situation on a crowded underground train in Berlin.
—Sabienna Bowman, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Teams that move between divisions aren’t expected to compete for Premier League titles, yet the Foxes improbably captured the 2015-16 title after oddsmakers gave them a 5,000-1 chance of winning it all at the start of the season.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Rivers, who recently became a grandfather, improbably came back after retiring in 2020 to try and spark a playoff run.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
If that’s not enough, Walton Goggins makes nose holes look improbably alluring.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Despite heavy opposition by cast and crew, he was improbably cast as Ava Gardner’s bullfighter lover in The Sun Also Rises.
—Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 9 Feb. 2026
Vonn had improbably vowed to compete at the Games despite suffering an otherwise season-ending injury to her left knee just over a week ago at a World Cup race in Switzerland.
—Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Violette briefly resurfaced in 2018 with a small solo show at Gladstone’s Upper East Side town house—an improbably tasteful site for an erstwhile rebel.
—Rachel Wetzler, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
In the season premiere, corporate negotiator Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) appears to have somewhat improbably landed himself in a second hostage situation on a crowded underground train in Berlin.
—Sabienna Bowman, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Teams that move between divisions aren’t expected to compete for Premier League titles, yet the Foxes improbably captured the 2015-16 title after oddsmakers gave them a 5,000-1 chance of winning it all at the start of the season.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Rivers, who recently became a grandfather, improbably came back after retiring in 2020 to try and spark a playoff run.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
If that’s not enough, Walton Goggins makes nose holes look improbably alluring.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for improbably
Adverb
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Searching for a desirable fall 1991 Yohji Yamamoto Homme leather jacket or an incredibly elusive fanny pack from Louis Vuitton’s 1996 collaboration with Vivienne Westwood?—
Alexandra Hildreth,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Perhaps incredibly, Franciosa and Rubi did not immediately hang up the phone.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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My window-nook daybed jutted out over the city streets, the perfect perch for watching Manhattan unfold below while wrapped in the most impossibly cozy bathrobe (sustainably sourced, of course).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
-
There was no big comeback or impossibly tense finish, not the way we’re used to seeing when these two teams face off on the biggest stage.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improbably.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/improbably. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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