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
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Recent Examples of likely
Phillip Reese, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
And because Cosmos 482 was designed to reach the surface of Venus — where the atmosphere is 90 times denser than Earth’s — the probe is likely to reach the ground intact.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 11 May 2025
Prices are dropping all across the state, and will likely continue to drop for years due to an oversupply of housing combined with record lack of affordability.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for likely
Adjective
Those disparities are suggestive of gaps seen in remote-work patterns: Wealthier, urban Californians are more likely to work from home than lower-income, rural residents.
—Phillip Reese, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
And because Cosmos 482 was designed to reach the surface of Venus — where the atmosphere is 90 times denser than Earth’s — the probe is likely to reach the ground intact.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
Adverb
However, Hogg’s intransigence proves that Democrats will likely need to give way to younger leaders or risk more public internal drama that distracts from countering the Trump administration.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 11 May 2025
Prices are dropping all across the state, and will likely continue to drop for years due to an oversupply of housing combined with record lack of affordability.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for likely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for likely
Adjective
-
The Leafs were always more probable than not to lose this series and the odds now are greatly stacked against them.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
-
Without human oversight, brand language may drift toward the generic, the probable, and the forgettable.—
Jason Snyder,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
The idea the experience sparks — a titillating rendezvous with the naked man at the bottom of her sake glass, Jane would never — is enough to kickstart her writing, at least to spit out some very promising pages.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
20 May 2025
-
These three forces coming together certainly bodes a promising outcome for this venture.—
Dr. Sai Balasubramanian,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
But what happened on the first floor of the McCormick Place West Convention Center in downtown Chicago was hardly plausible.—
Mike Vorkunov,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
-
Uttering them gives Santos plausible deniability, but Raposo still doesn’t buy it.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
There was even a collaboration with Hello Kitty featuring Ito’s monstrous Tomie, a creature who resembles a pretty girl but can grow a copy of herself from her smallest part and infest her victims.—
Sam Thielman,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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Fold linens neatly, use decorative baskets to corral smaller pieces, and work in a couple of decorative items such as a pretty storage box to dress up the piece.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 May 2025
Adverb
-
Who else is in Pillion? Aside from starring Skarsgård, Pillion also stars Melling, who has been featured in The Queen’s Gambit, but is probably most well-known for playing Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter film series as a child.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
19 May 2025
-
But for now, for the next couple of days, there will be a lot of beer probably.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
And Cannes — for all its flaws, its chaos, its maddening logistics — remains the one place each year where that future still feels genuinely possible.—
Martin Moszkowicz,
Deadline,
17 May 2025
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Before scrambling to meet a tight turnaround, take a step back and assess what’s actually possible.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
While cruises claimed over half of Greenland’s total tourism numbers in 2023, the future looks bright for air travel.—
Katherine Alex Beaven,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 May 2025
-
But when done right, the whole room can seem brighter and more spacious.—
Rachel Davies,
Architectural Digest,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
Using the deployment of U.S. forces as leverage in trade negotiations could lead close allies to perceive U.S. commitments as less credible, Nam added.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
19 May 2025
-
Two main issues are conveyed: No credible debt management approach exists.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Likely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/likely. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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