1
as in probable
having a high chance of occurring
if you don't graduate from high school, your likely fate is a low-paying job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in promising
having qualities which inspire hope
this looks like a likely spot for good trout fishing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in plausible
worthy of being accepted as true or reasonable
we didn't find her excuse a very likely story
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in pretty
very pleasing to look at
a likely gal such as yourself should have no trouble getting a date
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in probably
by reasonable assumption
the picnic will likely be cancelled if the storm continues
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of likely
Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Emily Chang, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
Olsavsky indicating that spending will likely increase again in 2026.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for likely
Adjective
Additional heavy rainfall is likely beyond Tuesday; uncertainty at that time range precludes exact storm totals.
—Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Adverb
Black voters were likely influenced by the economy as well, according to Ashley Konig, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University.
—Emily Chang, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
Olsavsky indicating that spending will likely increase again in 2026.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for likely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for likely
Adjective
-
He had been listed as probable earlier in the week with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy, then was cleared to play pregame before exiting.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are probable across portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
His career, once so promising, seemed to be slipping away.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The promising honors student had mysteriously vanished after spending an evening with friends at a local bar then leaving alone without her cellphone and stopping at a gas station next door, Houston police said.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In a lesser movie, he would be played for laughs as a jacked doofus; here, the character is more nuanced—Eivind seems like a sexy, emotionally plausible alternative to Aksel.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
-
For Beijing, plausible deniability is the essence of grey-zone warfare, effectively projecting capability without confrontation.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
No need to curb your enthusiasm here because Tony Hawk did a pretty, pretty good job disguising himself as the legendary Larry David.—
Diana Pearl,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
André Burakovsky scored the prettiest Blackhawks goal of the season, and surely one of the best in the league, in the third period, briefly cutting the deficit to two goals.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Louisville would probably look quite different if the founder of Brown-Forman never became the first whiskey maker to bottle and seal his liquor.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Sports betting is probably as old as sports itself.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Since last Thursday, Disney has run public messages notifying YouTube TV customers of a possible blackout.—
Liam Reilly,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
-
An additional 1 to 2 inches is possible today over portions of Hispaniola.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The popular lounge set comes in 16 colors, including neutrals, bright hues, and several shades of blue.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The future is bright, the options are endless.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Rojas disputes this and says his husband passed a credible fear evaluation at the border.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information Dana Morris Dixon said there are credible reports of several other fatalities, but they won't be counted in the official death toll until the bodies are retrieved.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Likely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/likely. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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